


Sense of Belonging

by Not_a_Mastermind



Series: Sense of Belonging [1]
Category: CW Network RPF, Supernatural RPF
Genre: Dom/sub, F/M, M/M, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Sentinel/Guide Bonding, Torture, collaring
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-28
Updated: 2013-08-11
Packaged: 2017-11-27 06:38:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/659005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_a_Mastermind/pseuds/Not_a_Mastermind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where Sentinels and Guides are known a guide belongs to their sentiel as second class citizens. Jared has never really wanted a guied and Jensen has never wanted to be a guide. When the two are forced to bond they will have to work together to change not just their future but the future of all pairs to come.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Two Halves of a Whole

Disclairmer: I don't own The Sentinel or Supernatural or the actors who play in ther series. I don't own The GPD Series by Susan Foster. No money is made from this, just playing in the sandbox.

Authors Note: This is in response to a kinkmeme challange and I decided to post it here as well. Not beted so all mistakes are mine. I borrowed some base plot points from Susan Foster's GPD Sentinel Verse as well as a few other short verses and twisted em for this work. This is an AU so I made Jared a little older the Jensen and of course minipulated friendships and relationships.

Additional notes: The Sentinel was a US TV series about a detective who had all 5 senses (touch, taste, sight, smell, hearing) naturally enhanced and a bit of a hightened sixth sense. With the help of an anthropology student as a guide for his senses to stay in control they became a crime fighting pair that could not be matched.

I hope you all enjoy and review to tell me how I am doing, I will try to update often.

On with the story.....

 

 

 

Jensen doesn’t quite understand why his parents are so excited but he knows they are. Even from across the give him a headache like when he is in a crowd. That is why he is here after all. He had started getting mood swings and then headaches around large groups of people. His parents thought it was just him room and through the door he can feel them, their happiness, their excitement. He just hopes it doesn’t adjusting to a new school at first, but as time went on it didn’t get better only worse. Finally they had agreed to take him to the doctor and then to a place they called the center. He had been put through a bunch of tests most of which he had never done before. Some were fine, some made him feel and act strange, and some hurt. He had heard the word Guide being thrown about but he didn’t understand what it meant. Before he could think about it anymore the door opened and his parents came in along with a doctor. They all were looking at him and smiling big smiles and even as he felt their excitement it was slightly over shadowed by nervousness. It took him a moment to realize it was his own. He was feeling so many others emotions now that sometimes his own confused him.

 

**********

 

Jared had always been a little sensitive but this was different and it scared him. It was also beginning to worry his family. He was doing things he knew weren’t quite right, seeing and hearing things he shouldn’t be able to. It also caused him pain sometimes or his mind to ‘wander off’ as his grandparents would put it. He was starting to be teased by his friends and adults were beginning to take serious interest in him. It was very nerve wracking and although he liked some attention this was too much. There were whispers of doctors and lots of tests or of duty and being special. He didn’t want to be special, he just wanted to be Jared Padalecki, son of Gerald and Sherri Padalecki brother to Jeff and Megan. Then one of the bullies at school told he was going to be taken away for being special. That had been four days ago and since then he had tried to hide what he did and what was happening. He pressed down the feeling of anything sharpening that wasn’t supposed to, tried to be in the moment and not get lost in himself. He just hoped it would work and he wouldn’t have to go to the doctors or be taken away.


	2. Starting down the path that leads to the end

Authors Note: Not beted, all mistakes mine.

 

Jensen was excited for the weekend to arrive and so he had been only half interested in his last class of the day. He had decided to walk home as he was too amped up to take the bus and his shields were suffering because of his lack of focus. When he had turned sixteen he was granted a drivers license which was a big deal. He had been promised that if after six months his grades where good and his status hadn’t change he could get a car. Well he had studied his ass off and his grades were the best they had ever been. It took a lot of work but he had done it and for the whole six long months too. As for his status he was unsure but he had not been to the doctors or the center for six months so he assumed he was okay. When he got there his parents cars were already in the driveway and the bus had already dropped off his siblings. He quickly ran his backpack up to his room without taking his shoes off like he was supposed to before rushing to the family room where his dad was. He could see his mom in the kitchen and was glad she could only see half of him so he wouldn’t get scolded about his shoes.

“When can we go to the car lot?” he asked when his dad looked over at him from his seat on the couch. From just looking at him he knew something was wrong and letting his shields slip a bit could feel the regret and frustration to with the look. But underneath that was a tinge of embarrassment and annoyance that confused him.

“We can’t go I’m sorry” his dad said as he raised his shields.

“Next weekend?” he tried not to sound hurt or even too hopeful. He was trying to thicken his shields as he waited for an answer.

“Jensen I’m sorry but… you can’t have a car” his dad’s voice turned to the one they used around his little sister when she threw a tantrum. “You know that you could be matched and that could happen soon. It’s not practical to get a car now” his dad lectured him.

“That’s not fair!” he almost shouted but managed to keep his voice from being too loud to attract his siblings attention.

“Jensen, sweetheart, you knew this was likely to happen” his mom was watching them from inside the kitchen.

“You said if I could get the grades I could get a car, and I did it” he shot back. “And I was unaware my status changed” he challenged his parents to correct him. He was tempted to lower his shields to reassess things but knew he was too unfocused with his own emotions to control the slip and would most likely hurt himself.

“It hasn’t” his dad’s confirmation soothed him just a bit but also irritated him.

“But that doesn’t mean it won’t and you have to be ready” his mom reasoned. “Having a car will make things harder and we’ll just have to get rid of it.”

He knew deep down that he was unlikely to get a car ever since he was old enough to understand about what a guide was. But he had blinded himself with hope over the years that he would be different. He already knew from a young age that he would never get to go to college. But he had prayed and convinced himself that things like driving and having a small life could be possible. After all being a guide wasn’t something that required him to be occupied twenty-four seven. He did not want a Sentinel, he didn’t want to ‘belong’ to someone. “But Josh got one and Mac will get one” he knew he sounded like his little sister almost whining.

“But they won’t be serving the country like you will” his dad’s voice was beginning to sound angry. They had been over this a few times about what would be expected. Not in very much detail but in general terms none the less.

“I don’t care, you said I could” he hated that he was now in effect throwing a tantrum and acting like a child. But he couldn’t help it his emotions were beginning to get the better of him. And if they got the better of him he would soon be getting the better or those around him. He need to calm down, to focus and relax and soon.

“Jensen Ross Ackles” his mom snapped “don’t talk to your father that way” she scolded. Then she saw his feet and frowned “go take your shoes off” she sighed.

He took a deep breath before blowing it out angrily and taking another, he turned and almost stomped back to the door. “I need some air” he called back before opening the door and stepping outside jerking the door closed behind him to make a point of wanting to be alone. When he was younger and upset he would go out to the back yard to calm down. His parents had put up a new porch swing on the front deck a few years ago and sometimes he now sat there. But he was too angry for that today and started walking away from the house. After he got half way down the block he decided he would go to Chris’s house. He had been friends with Chris since this whole guide business had started. Chris hadn’t teased him or treated him like a freak and seemed to understand some of what he was going through. Halfway between his house and Chris’s was a park. He would take shortcuts there sometimes when he was upset like now. The park wasn’t used that often and it was kind of peaceful and he could relax and lower his shield there. Today would be a good day for the park most kids were at friends or going out for the weekend. Starting when he entered the park he slowly let his shields slip and let his mind wonder. It would turn out to be the biggest mistake of his life. Soon after he let some of his shields down he was overpowered by emotions and he staggered and struggled to focus and raise his shields back up. Before he could he was grabbed from behind and pain shot through his whole body causing him to crumple and cry out. His cry however was cut off by a hand over his mouth and nose which also cut off his air. It didn’t take long for the flood of emotions, shape pain, and lack of air to force him to pass out.

 

**********

 

Jared just wanted to get back to his dorm and crawl into his closet. His senses had kicked up all of a sudden and just wouldn’t quite. Normally he only got a few highs and lows a year and it never lasted long. But this past week they had been very bad and it was driving him nuts to the point he was thinking about getting help. He had been deemed a latent Sentinel when he was young but he had buried his senses and they hadn’t been much of a problem. His parents would support him in whatever he did or whatever he was. He is studying to be a cop and has hopes to someday join the F.B.I. but as a civilian not a Sentinel. Being a Sentinel would require him to take a guide and that is something that is very unappealing to him. He saw guides being used as slaves because society deemed them as such but never using that word. They said guides needed to be kept for their own good and the good of the sentinel and city they served. He wanted no part in owning another person and calling it good for all, it was pure bullshit. He shivered as the wind blew and his cloths pressed to him irritating his skin and making him want to strip them off and itch at every place they touched. Turning to take a shortcut across the quad park to get to his dorm faster he was happy to see that security and maintenance had taken down the large message board that had been set up earlier in the week. Three such boards had been put up in and around campus flashing very brightly day and night. An amber alert had been issued and for some reason the dean of campus though it wise to put the boards up, like the students knew something or had the time to look for some kid. Maybe the kid had been found, maybe he hadn’t, all that mattered was he wouldn’t have to worry about getting distracted by the boards anymore. When he got to the dorms he bounded up the stairs taking two at a time rather than wait for the elevator. His room was on the fifth floor with access to the roof and its little garden set up by the horticultural students on the second floor. As he approached the door to his room his hearing spiked for a few seconds and he could hear his roommate Tom arguing with Mike and Chad. All three were his friends and had one way or another found out about his latent sentinel status. They didn’t make a big deal about it and it seemed to strengthen their friendship. This week however with his senses being all over they were worried about and for him. They would mother hen him in their own ways but respect any wishes or requests as long as it wasn’t hurting him or anyone else. He opened the door tossing his shoulder bag beside the door as he closed it. Walking into the common room area the guys were on the couch, lazy chair and floor surrounding the coffee table. Papers covered the table in layers and Jared could tell without his enhanced site that it was a crime case assigned by one of their law teachers. They all looked up at him as he entered the room and frowns creased all their faces.

“You look like shit” Chad blurted before swaying to avoid a swat by Tom and getting one from Mike instead.

“Feel like shit” Jared took pity on him and answered honestly.

“You need anything?” Tom asked getting up and moving closer to him for a better look. Tom had a cousin who was a sentinel and knew a few tricks he had taught to him to help with the occasional sensory spike.

“Could I have the room for an hour?” he knew they would give him time but he always asked. He felt bad for kicking them out even if he needed it. Mike and Chad shared the room on the left and his and Tom’s was the last on the end. Sometimes when he was at his worst, like when he had first gotten the room with Tom the guys would invite the downstairs neighbors out so that he could have more quiet.

“Sure Jay” Tom answered “want to see that movie the girls are so interested in?” Tom asked over his shoulder at Mike and Chad.

“Sounds good to me” Chad replied even as he made a disgusted face. All of them laughed at Chad’s antics.

“We can come check on you and tell you all the gory details” Mike put in teasingly.

The girls in question were their downstairs neighbors and they loved romantic chick flicks that sent any normal man cringing. But his friends endured it so that he could have space and time to get himself together and back under control.

“Thanks, I own you” he gave them a half hearted smile before turning and walking to his bedroom. He started shedding cloths on the way and knowing that they would be picked up later when he was done resting. He could hear the front door close after he closed his own bedroom door and finished striping. After finding out about his latent sentinel abilities Tom had given up the bigger room to him. It had a fairly big closet with sliding doors to close it as it was long and rectangular rather than square and tall. Opening the door he got down on his knees and opened a blue Rubbermaid storage tote. Inside were a plush quilt and a silk sheet along with a memory foam pillow in a silk cover. Taking them out he laid them on the soft padded carpet that Mike had helped put in. Mike when he had found out about Jared’s senses had helped make the closet as soundproof, dark and soft as possible. Tom had designed it but Mike had the know how. When that was done he got out a second much smaller container that Chad had given him. Inside was a silk eye mask, silk mittens and home made white noise generator and silk covered headphones. Chad was a computer wiz and that extended into making all kinds of interesting gadgets, mostly used for pranks. But when he found Jared’s old ear plugs for his noise blocking he had made the tiny generator and headphones for him. He put the eye mask on, and the mittens before laying on the nest he’d made and pulling the generator and headphones in closed the door. Settling down he could hear the murmurs of the girls and his friends below him. Putting the head phones on he hit the button on top of the generator and quickly lost himself in his calming subspace. It didn’t take long before he opened his metaphorical eyes in the dream world of subspace. He stood in a jungle, like the kind often seen as rainforest but with a few less trees so that light could come to the ground.

There were rumors abound about the spirit world in which sentinels and guides could find themselves in. Here it was supposed to be that they sought out their spirit guides and could learn hidden truths. Truths about what he didn’t know and he had yet to see any animals, he had heard them but never seen them. It always gave him comfort to come here as he had been doing so for many years. The first time had scared him so bad that he had been afraid to go to sleep let alone have his mind wander or worst of all zone. He had gotten over his fear though and looked forward to the time he spent here. But today something was off, the air seemed extra thick and settled on his skin and in his lungs with foreboding weight. It was deathly quite, no animals could be heard and no wind since the air hung heavy. It was early evening but it seemed darker as if the sun had dimmed. He didn’t like it and it made him nervous like his first trip here. He began to walk hoping that things would change but they didn’t and he could feel an unease settle over him and a tightening in his gut. After what seemed like a long time he started moving up a hill, the trees thinning as he went. He was just clearing the tree line when he saw them at the top of the hill which was actually a cliff. His steps faltered for a moment as he had never seen another person here and now there were two. But the scene took on just as much shock as finding someone else here. A tall thin man who was almost lost in black inky shadow had his back to him. In front of them both was a younger boy, maybe just into his teens. The boy he could see clearly as if he was in high definition and the sun shone on him to boot. He looked terrified and flinched when the shadow man took a step closer to him backing him up to the edge of the cliff. He started moving forward towards the two ready to shout when the boy looked right at him.

“Help me” the boys voice was a whisper but to his ears was a shout.

He moved faster but not fast enough as the shadow man let out a harsh laugh and stepped up to the boy before pushing him off the edge and vanishing himself. He fell to his knees at the edge of the cliff and peered over after the boy only to fling himself backwards onto his back closing his eyes as a blast of black shadow surged up from below.

He let out a cry and his eyes opened and he flailed around to try and get up. Only something was stopping him and it took him a moment to register the shocked and scared looks on his friend’s faces as they hovered over him. Breathing deep and quickly he looked them over before moving onto his surroundings. He was no longer in the closet, he was in the hospital.

“Shit” he let out a deep breath and concentrated on not panicking, that could come later when he was alone.


	3. Jensen's trials on the path

Authors note: This chapter is about Jensen and what happens before Jared, had some mild torture and nongraphic rape at the end. Kinda long but hope you like reading, feel free to leave feedback!

Jensen had a very hard time focusing when he came to and when he became somewhat aware of his surroundings he wished he could go back to being unfocused. He was curled up in a small cage on a concrete floor in an almost pitch black and very cold barren room. His whole body ached as if he had been there for some time and his head felt like it would split open. He knew his shields were weak and if he stayed here like this it would only get worse. He knew he was alone as he couldn’t hear or sense anyone else. He tried to stay calm as he moved to resettle in a more comfortable position which wasn’t much better than his previous position. The cage allowed him enough space to lay curled up or sit with his legs crossed and his head and sounders bent to keep from hitting the top. He could turn around but it was tricky and there was no difference in the direction he faced. His shoes and socks and jacket had been taken which left him in his jeans and tee-shirt. He tried to stay warm by curling up as much as possible but it became uncomfortable and he wasn’t much warmer. It seemed like forever that he sat so he tried moving around but quickly stopped as he got tangled or kept hitting the walls of his cage. His mind was allowed to run rampant as he just sat waiting for something to happen.

How long had it been? Would his parents come looking? Why was he taken and what did whoever took him want? That lead to him thinking about the rumors of black market Guides. The state said it wasn’t true but how could it not be? Even when he went to the center or State Guide Program Center (SGPC) as he now knew it was called the other Guides whispered or had nightmares about it. Sentinels were common all over the world but Guides, not so much. And pairing a Sentinel and a Guide took time as the best working pairs had to be compatible with each other so tests must be run in order to get it right. Some Sentinels didn’t want to wait or really care how compatible they were with a Guide but had them anyway. Thus the rumors that Guides were sold on a black market to a Sentinel who was willing to pay the price for one. As long as the Sentinel kept up their duty to help the state didn’t look too closely at how the Sentinel got their Guide. Jensen had no idea if it was true or not but he was leaning towards true.

After a while of doing nothing but thinking and getting himself worked up he decided to try and sleep some more. He had just gotten to sleep when he woken but by loud bangs, it startled him so much that he panicked and jumped hurting himself on the small cage walls and ceiling. When he calmed down the banging became quieter but kept up. Eventually it stopped and he sat or moved to not cramp up before trying to sleep again. He was again awakened and this process repeated itself for he didn’t know how long. Sometimes it was banging, sometimes it was a baby crying, sometimes it was dogs barking, and sometimes it was screaming but he was always woken up soon after he fell asleep. He thought he got in a little here or there but it was hard to tell. He was also very hungry and thirsty as no one entered the room he was kept in. He was soon an emotional and physical wreck as he was starved and sleep deprived, kept in the cold and dark and filth until he felt that he was a raw open wire. He was even hallucinating now seeing a jungle and cliff, as well as two men and a tiger. The tiger oddly enough brought him a small sliver of peace when he saw it. His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden blinding light and he closed his eyes and cringed back into the corner of his cage.

“Hello Pet” a loud voice said as if it was right next to his ear and not across the room and Jensen shivered as he knew his nightmare had become reality.

6 months later

Jensen found himself in another small cage that was covered and in the back of a van. He had completed his training and had been sold the night before. He was unsure if his captors knew but last night had also been his birthday. Jensen was now seventeen and an active guide who just been sold to a Sentinel off the black market.

“Happy damn birthday to me” Jensen muttered to himself under his breath hoping the driver didn’t hear him. He knew that the driver wasn’t a Sentinel but he could never be too careful. He knew he was supposed to call the Sentinel who bought him Master but had overheard him being called Christopher. Christopher had come in to see him before the auction and during that time had laughed at him. He swore he had heard that laugh before, during the torture that had been called training. It had not been a pleasant laugh, rather hallow and empty with an edge. During his training he had tried to fight at first but it only made things worse. So he had pretended to go along with a few small flair ups to disguise that he was waiting, watching them and biding his time. Surely now that he had been bought his Sentinel would try to break him in, put him in his place. But once that was done the Sentinel would have to rely on him even just a bit. And he would keep up appearances and pretend to be broken and once he had a little wiggle room and the Sentinel slipped and hopefully zoned he would be out of there. He ran through various plans and scenarios in his head until the van came to a final stop and shut off. He was left in the back for a while and it started to get hot and stuffy. He figured that was to make him nervous and less focused so when the back finally opened he pretended to be. The cover was taken off his cage and he had to blink a few times at the sudden light.

Standing at the back door of the van were three men, one was the Sentinel Christopher. He was a tall man, taller than Jensen but lean and almost gaunt looking. However he was stronger then he looked, he had already hit Jensen and proven that fact. His hair was brown and appeared to be turning gray in a few spots, kept short and somewhat messy to go with his few days old beard. His face was long and put out an almost permanent emotion of cruel indifference but his icy blue eyes; they show him to be cold, cunning, and possibly crazy. When he smiled it was creepy and his voice was raspy and on the softer side but in no way comforting. The two men with him were not Sentinels but they were both big and bulky and mean looking and if it weren’t for their mismatching hair and eye color they could have been twins.

Christopher gave a chuckle and smiled “welcome home” he turned to the man on his right who had black hair and brown eyes and ordered roughly “get him inside.” He turned and walked away and ‘black’ as Jensen was going to call him turned to his companion who had brown hair and gray eyes before they both reached in and grabbed a side of his cage and pulling it out of the van to carry it between them. Jensen saw that they were in the middle of nowhere with a rundown looking cabin beside the van. There was a small porch where the front door was closed but next to the porch what looked like cellar doors stood open. As he was being carried down into the dark again Jensen wondered if he would become like a vampire and fear light if he ever got to see it again for more than one minute. Black and ‘brown’ he dubbed the other the other goon dropped his cage roughly in the middle of the cellar and started back up the stairs.

“Get some sleep, don’t want to hear anything from you until morning, training starts early” black through over his shoulder before taking the last steps up and closing the door. Jensen was again alone in the cold dark waiting for a future that was sure to be as dark as the space he inhabited.

2 weeks later

Jensen was so sore that he couldn’t even get up, and he really really wanted to, but he wasn’t physically able. He was upstairs in the main house laying in the middle of the living room floor. Christopher was in the back bedroom and black and brown were out for supplies. The door locked but from the inside and if he could get up, get to the door he could unlock it and open it and go outside. But outside was no longer the freedom that he seeked and the thought caused a tear to slide over Jensen’s bruised cheek. The only way to be free now was for that Sentinel to be gone, permanently. Jensen would no longer call the Sentinel Christopher and he sure as hell wouldn’t call him Master no matter how many times he was hit. The Sentinel had forced a bond on him, tearing through his shields and his spirit to bind with the Guide inside Jensen. As long as both lived they would be tied together in some way and Jensen got the short end of the straw.

For the last two weeks the Sentinel had “trained” him but it was just a fancy name for torture. Jensen had been hit with a wide variety of tools from a stick to a belt to a bat and even a real whip. He had been cut into with knives, electrocuted with a tazer, almost drowned with buckets of water, and had limbs dislocated and relocated. All of this was of course on top of the hunger, thirst and sleep deprivation that seemed to be a constant. Then there was the touching, a mock imitation of a soothing touch that ran into places they had no right to go and were anything but soothing. By the time two weeks of this had passed he was nothing but an open sore of raw nerves and energy. His shields were nonexistent and just about anything could set him off keeping him in pain and on the edge of breaking down into nothing. But Jensen couldn’t do it, he couldn’t fall, there was way too much to lose besides himself. He worried about his family more specifically his little sister.

The Sentinel loved to talk, and his favorite thing to do when “training” Jensen was to tell him whatever was going through his head. Jensen had learned that the Sentinel knew what he could be, an active Guide, if the situation was right. He had watched Jensen and basically ordered him through the market which was more than happy to kidnap potential Guides. If after his time in the pens the markets kept the Sentinel didn’t want him or couldn’t afford him he could be sold to someone else so all in all the kidnapping was worth it. But the Sentinel had seen Jensen in the pens from time to time and had paid the price when he came onto the market. During all that time the heads of the market had looked at Jensen’s family, all of them. Jensen’s older brother was not guide material but his little sister? She was young and although a bit sensitive had not been as much as he was and had yet to be tested. This would happen later and if she proved to be a possible Guide…well. Jensen’s imagination had run away and gone wild. He had fought very hard and screamed every threat and obscenity he would do if the Sentinel laid a hand on her. The Sentinel had taken delight in voicing some of Jensen’s nightmarish thoughts as he worked Jensen over for most of the day. Until it was almost night and the Sentinel had made an offer.

If Jensen were to become his Guide he would have no need to look for another such as Jensen’s sister. And Jensen who was so tired and so weak and open to the elements had cracked. Not broken no because even as he agreed, as he made the deal with the closest thing to the devil he’d ever known his spirit swelled instead of shrank. It filled with hate and bitterness and guilt and an overwhelming sadness. He would do what he had to, to save his sister, protect his family and save what was left of his sanity. The Sentinel had brought him up into the house for the first time that night and told black and brown to man the outside front and back doors. Jensen had fought him a bit as the Sentinel had dragged him to the cleared out living room. They struggled for quite some time before Jensen was forced down and pinned to the floor. Then he had screamed as the Sentinel had pushed into his mind, past any barrier he’d had and forced a part of his will and spirit into Jensen. All the while the Sentinel’s hands touched everywhere mapping him body as his mind and soul where getting the same treatment. It seemed to go on forever and Jensen felt like he was being burned wherever the Sentinel touched and the bonding sent waves of pain sweeping his whole body as it cemented setting him alight then dousing him with cold. The Sentinel marked him at last by biting his shoulder hard enough to bleed before getting up and leaving Jensen a mess on the floor.

The Sentinel had gone to the door, told black to get brown and go out for supplies and stay out till tomorrow before locking the door and going into his bedroom. Jensen spent the night in and out of consciousness praying for the strength to get up and do something or the mercy to slip away forever into peace. In the morning he was very aware of the Sentinel who for the most part ignored him except to move him to the couch and give him a small glass of water and a piece of dry toast.

“We have work to do soon, get better” was all the Sentinel said before he went off to fix his own breakfast. Black and brown came back while he was sipping his water and seemed to pay him no mind as they took the supplies into the kitchen. Jensen would come to learn that as long as he did as he was told and didn’t make himself noticed they would leave him alone for the most part. It was the Sentinel he would have to watch for as he was the boss of this group. Black and brown stayed with them most of the time and were there to do dirty work and keep an eye on Jensen when the Sentinel could not. His plans for escape had become almost nil with the forced bonding but even if the Sentinel was zoned black and brown would be there to prevent any attempt to run.

8 months later

The job had gone bad and brown had died and that had made black mad. When black was mad like he was now the Sentinel let him have time with Jensen as long as he made sure he wasn’t damaged enough he couldn’t work. Black over the months Jensen had been with the Sentinel had evolved from inflicting mere physical pain and punishment to physiological pain as well. What he would do if the Sentinel wasn’t around, bits and pieces about Jensen’s family, Jensen’s sister, and the people they run into in their work. Crime has a way of bringing about some horrible ends and Jensen tries as much as he can to minimize any interaction and or causalities of the crimes the Sentinel is involved with. Lately Jensen has been leaving clues at the crime scenes to aid police and hinder the Sentinel and that probably has some hand in how brown died.

The people they had taken hostage for the job had gotten antsy and restless when the police had showed up early. When they were leaving the hostages had rebelled and between forcing their way out and the police coming in brown had been caught in the cross fire. Now black was using the bad job to get at him, telling him what the news was probably reporting. The Sentinel and Jensen had been the first out of the building with black and brown and another man Jensen called red after them. There had been gun fire, it was how brown had died after all, getting shot. But some of the hostages had been shot as well and some police, one of the hostages had even died at the scene while another might die in the hospital. Black worked him over for a few hours getting drunk while he did and eventually red came to get black. Red looked Jensen over when black had left before picking up a cloth and a bucket of water black had left. He dunked the rag moving over to Jensen before bringing the rag to Jensen’s face and beginning to wipe away the blood and dirt. Jensen groaned and red shushed him and continued muttering “easy toy” before he rewet the rag and moved to Jensen’s neck.

The Sentinel called Jensen toy and a few other name and black and brown had taken to it, never calling him by name. Sometimes they called Jensen Guide but mostly it was toy and he hated it, twisting his head to the side as red brought the rag from under his chin to over it. Red took hold of his chin and made him look at him as he rewet the rag and started on Jensen’s chest. Jensen shuddered and took in a deep breath at what he saw in red’s eyes and felt through his empathic ability. Jensen knew that red would replace brown and it made him scared. He struggled weakly as red finished washing him, red’s touches lingering and applying pressure in places Jensen wished he wouldn’t. The mental and emotional touches were worse but not as threatening as the physical. It would go on as long as red stayed he was sure of it and the Sentinel wouldn’t care as long as he functioned properly as Guide. Jensen made up his mind to try harder to get away, to do whatever it took to bring the Sentinel and his companions down. True to his own vow as soon as he could he redoubled his efforts to alert anyone to the Sentinels plans. He heard from black when he was drunk and beating him one night that another Sentinel, a cop, had been put on the Sentinel’s case and that he was getting close. As time passed the jobs got more dangerous, they moved more often and the group around him became angrier and more emotional. His punishments with black and later red got worse too while the Sentinel supervised or sometimes started it. Also he began to dream again, not often but every once and a while he would dream of the jungle, the cliff, a desert and the tiger.

4 months later

It was Jensen’s eighteenth birthday today and he had given himself a present. He had had five whole glorious minutes in that car alone! The Sentinel had been in the museum while black was outside the museum door and red outside in front of the car. The car had belonged to the museum curator who was with the Sentinel. The curator had managed to lose his cell phone in the car and Jensen had found it. Making sure that red didn’t see him he laid down on the back seat and called the police. They had put him through to the Sentinel in charge of Jensen’s Sentinel’s case.

“Hello?” a rich voice had come over the line and for some reason it seemed to sooth him and he forgot to answer. “Hello, are you there?” the voice came again and Jensen checked again for red before answering.

“Help me, Museum of Fine Art tonight, he’s going to steal it” Jensen rushed out in a hiss. Even though red was not a Sentinel he worried about being heard and caught.

“Who is this, what about the museum? Are you hurt?” The voice sounded worried and he heard a faint click and papers rustling.

“He’s going to rob it tonight, the Sentinel” Jensen hoped that the police would come now but that would ruin things. They had to come tonight and catch the Sentinel in the act and stop him. “Tonight, at the museum a party he’s going to rob it” Jensen warned again stressing the tonight part. He was getting a little agitated and darted his eyes around again to look for red or the return of black and the Sentinel.

“Okay, okay” the voice brought him back and he thought for a second that the voice pulled at him like he used his Guide abilities to pull the Sentinel from a zone. “What about you? Will you be there?” the voice was full of concern and it warmed Jensen a bit.

“Yes” Jensen nodded as he confirmed as if the other Sentinel could see him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement and looked up to see red stand up straight and look at the museum. The others must be coming back his time was about to be up. His breath quickened and he slightly curled up.

“Are you there? Are you in danger? Hello?” a loud voice said and Jensen realized he still had the phone and an open connection to the police.

“Tonight, Museum of Fine Art” Jensen said one last time before almost hanging up. He didn’t know what possessed him to do it but he made sure red wasn’t looking yet before bringing the phone back up to talk. “Pale blue house, three level, nice street with maples, dog next door, a baby maybe” and he hung up. Jensen tossed the phone under the driver’s front seat as he was behind the passenger seat and closed his eyes. Not even a minute later the door opened and he opened his eyes to red looking at him.

“Sit up time to go” red closed the door before walking around to the other side and opening the opposite door. The Sentinel stood by the driver’s door his hand on the museum curator’s arm guiding him to get in. Red got in after the curator while black and the Sentinel got in the front. They drove away and when they got close to the place they were hiding out Jensen had to put on blackout shades. He couldn’t see anything and was forced to rely on the Sentinel or black or red to bring him into the house. He had caught glimpses of it and could hear things when in the main part but he had no idea exactly where it was. He hoped that the Sentinel cop he had warned would be at the museum tonight or even by some miracle find the house they were at. Red took him down to the cellar and got him ready for the night. Red was extra handsy and his emotions were extra taxing tonight and Jensen had to fight back tears when it was over and red left to get ready himself.

Later on the drive to the museum he imagined a rather violent end to red as he had to sit and feel the man’s emotions. It was there at the museum that he caught the first glimpse of Him. The Sentinel that was in charge of the case, that he had talked to, that would sometime in the future change his life for the better even if he didn’t know it at first glance. It had all gone wrong from the start and he found himself back in the cellar with an enraged and wounded Sentinel and his equally angry and wounded partners. Jensen himself had not been hurt at the museum or in the act of fleeing it and the small chase ensuing. But that changed as all three men started in on him blaming him for what happened and they were right. Later, much later when he was safe he would look back on what happened and be sick. Most of the rest of that night was only fragments of memory as his mind was trying to protect itself and hide it away forever. And as much as he wished he could forget and let it go he couldn’t so he would try and piece together what had happened.

As soon as the car had pulled into the driveway and out of sight he had been dragged from the car, into the house and thrown down the stairs to the cellar. He had been kicked and hit before being tied up and strung up to be badly beaten and tortured with just about all the toys the Sentinel had. It was like when he had first come to the Sentinel and Jensen feared that they might actually go too far this time and kill him. As much as he hated being a Guide and wanted to be free and away from the Sentinel he did not want to die. What happened after the beating however was worse than the first time he would think back in the morning as this time he lived after it was over to replay it in his head and nightmares.

Red had suggested it and the Sentinel had seen the affect the slurred suggestion had on him and done it. They had all done it before the Sentinel had taunted him while doing it again. Jensen supposed that is what pushed him over the edge that brought about the end of his hell. Rape could do that to anyone given the circumstances and when the Sentinel had talked about Jensen’s sister and made a call to have someone pick her up he broke. Jensen had managed to get up and lose before attacking the Sentinel in a rage. Jensen is still unsure of how he managed to overpower the Sentinel but he did and not even black and red pulling and hitting at him had managed to shake him. Not until the Sentinel was dead and he felt the bond between them break did he realize that black and red weren’t with him anymore. He didn’t have time to think it over as he collapsed in pain and exhaustion and lost consciousness hearing a tiger roaring in the distance of his mind.


	4. Jared's Trials On The Path

Authors note: I am so sorry for the long wait but life came up and bite me in the behind! Any way.... first off I have nothing against the actors or their wives so any views I express is for the story and I am sure all of them are actually very nice people. Second I have never been to Houston of any of the places around there but the reservation there does exist. Okay so on with the story, hope you enjoy, please feel free to comment. Again no beta so all mistakes are mine.

 

 

 

 

 

Jared was a full blown Sentinel for all of about a week and a half before he went off line again much to his bosses and doctors disappointment. To him it couldn’t have been more of a relief. He had no idea just how consuming being a full Sentinel was. From all the testing which drove him almost crazy to talk of a Guide he did not want to all the restrictions and changes he’d have to make in his day to day life. He had caught on that being a Sentinel was different for him, he had heard the term Dark along with Primitive and Prime and even Feral. The only good thing to come out of that week and a half was Genevieve. When he saw her for the first time something in him settled and it made him feel good despite his raging senses. She wasn’t a Guide but being around her he was able to focus a bit better. Genevieve was studying forensic science and medicine at the college three towns over and was doing an internship at the hospital. He had met her when she mistook his room for the one a floor below and after some awkward yet funny conversation about anything and nothing had agreed to meet again. She visited over the time he was there and after they started to date.

 

**6 months later**

 

Jared looked himself over in the mirror again before pushing the hair out of his eyes and scolding himself for not listening to his mother about getting a haircut. It was his wedding day and he had wanted to look his best and Genevieve did like his hair a bit longer. He and Gen had had a very fast but good romance even if at times it could be a bit rough. They had both just graduated and gotten jobs with the Houston Texas Police. He would be starting in vice thanks to his looks and skills including his latent Sentinel senses. They would rise a bit every now and then but he had a pretty good hold on them and sometimes hardly noticed he was using them. The Chief of Police Eric Kripke had been in during his interview and had approved his hiring himself. His partner was named Jeffrey Dean Morgan but since Jared’s brother was also Jeff he just called his partner JD. JD was out in the church a last minute guest as a kinda get to know and include you gesture to the man he would be relying on at work.

 

“Ready to go or do you want a few more minutes with the mirror?” Chad, his best man, broke him out of his thoughts.

 

“No I’m good” Jared pushed his hair out of his eyes one more time before turning to his friend. Chad looked good in his suit even though he complained it was way to conforming and constricting. His other friends and groomsmen Tom and Mike were outside the tiny room he had been getting ready in. Jeff would have been a groomsman too but he had broken his leg two weeks before and had to be sitting so he was waiting in the church’s front row. Megan was a bride’s maid so she would be with Gen and hopefully keeping calm. Megan had loved that he was getting married even if like the rest of his family though it was rather quick.

 

“Then let’s get this show on the road so the reception can start and I can dance with all the beautiful ladies.” Chad pulled a few moves that made Jared laugh and they walked out to go to the front of the church. Tom and Mike joined them at the end of the aisle and they all walked up to the front and the priest in silence.

 

The church was decorated with flowers and streamers and a few candles. The pews were already mostly filled with his and Gen’s family and friends. As he and his friends arranged themselves a few last guests hurried to take their seats. Not long after The bridal march music played from somewhere he couldn’t see and his sister and some of Gen’s friends came down the aisle. Then Gen hand on her father’s arm dressed in a snow white dress with beaded front and puffy skirt came his way. His breath caught as he looked at her smiling face, her dark hair having been pinned up. When she was half way up the aisle the sun from the high windows shined off her dress and his sight became hazy.

 

Moments later he almost jumped as he felt a sharp sting on his hands and glanced at it to see Chad moving a pin away and three red dots forming. He must have zoned for a second but he couldn’t dwell on it, Chad had taken care of it and Gen was now in front of him. He took Gen from her father and smiled at her before they faced the priest.

 

The ceremony was quick and the kiss at the end was nice, his sense of touch giving a small flair and he had to catch his breath when it was over. They walked down the aisle hand in hand and then waited for the guests to get up before leading the way to the reception hall in the building next to the church.

 

All through the reception he had to take breaks to wonder off to a secluded section away from everyone. His senses were spiking and he felt as if something was wrong and he couldn’t place it. He was restless and a sense of dread was present in the back of his mind. He didn’t know why and it frustrated him. Something was missing and yet he had everything! This was his wedding day, everything had gone well so far and he should be happy and out enjoying the time with his new wife and family and friends. His job was secure and he would be getting right into it when he got back from his honeymoon. As the night went on it got worse and he and his friends passed it off as being overwhelmed. He had almost spit the cake out when Gen had given him a bite and his taste spiked. He had passed it off as a though she might play the shove it in your face prank and Gen had laughed before he had given her her piece. He hardly touched his dinner to avoid another spike and only dance the minimum amount of dances. He danced at the back of the floor saying it was more private for them and was glad Gen agreed. He was glad when Gen threw the bouquet and the over whelming sent of roses faded. When it was time to leave and go to the airport to catch their flight to Hawaii he was glad. Chad handed him the pin he had been poked with earlier with a serious face then joked about not getting burned while he and Gen enjoyed sex on the beach.

 

At the airport a sudden fear seized him and he had to fight with everything he had not to react. Something was happening and he didn’t know what but he wanted it to stop. When they finally got on the plane and to their seats he felt horrible.

 

“I know it’s been a long day but I am a bit tired, I don’t want to ignore you but do you mind if I sleep while we fly?” He asked Gen fighting the urge to just slip away into his head.

 

Gen frowned for a moment then seemed to come to some conclusion and nodded. “Sure, in fact that sounds like a good idea, then we’ll be rested for when we get there. He smiled at her and turned his attention to the flight attendant as the preflight instructions were announced.

 

He was asleep as the wheels left the runway and despite the plane taking an upward momentum his body felt like it was sinking. He opened his eyes to the jungle except it wasn’t really anymore. The trees had been hacked down or were burnt down, the ground covered in ash, the air smoky and thick all the vivid colors were dull. He began to walk and the trees got worse and fewer until there went any and he was faced with a desert. He was about to turn back when he saw the tiny blood drop trail and despair hit him. He set off to follow the trail and spent what felt like hours wandering in the baking sun and harsh winds. He was ready to turn back when he saw a hazy dark shape ahead with sand covering parts. He moved forward hoping it wasn’t a mirage and he started feeling worse as he got closer. When he could finally make out what it was he almost dropped as he stared at the boy months before. The boy was now thin and frail looking with bruises and blood over him. Glassy unfocused eyes seemed to see him and yet look right through him at the same time. He sped up to get to the boys side when the wind picked up suddenly and sand went flying everywhere and a wave of it came at them. He had to duck his head until it passed and when he looked up the boy was gone covered by the sand, now an almost visible bump. The sand began to darken and sink inward a hole forming and he had to scramble back. It ended just short of him and he woke up breathing hard with Gen’s hand on his shoulder. They had landed in Hawaii, paradise, but he couldn’t help feeling that part of him was back in that desert.

 

**8 months later**

 

Jared needed a break from everything but he wasn’t going to get it. Lately he had fallen into a rut and the hits just kept coming. He supposed things had started going downhill since he got married and hadn’t stopped but that wouldn’t be fair. His honeymoon had been both a blessing and a curse both the best and worst time. Gen had been great, he had gotten lost in her and he had done things with her he had never thought about let alone considered doing again. That feeling that something had been missing had plagued him since their plane touched down in Hawaii. He had spent the week trying to fill it by immersing himself in her. His senses had been all over the place though and they had to cut out a few of the things they had wanted to do. Gen had seemed supportive and almost eager at the prospect of this Sentinel abilities coming online. He had a small feeling that she wouldn’t mind helping them along. When they got back he had flung himself into his job a bit recklessly but whole heartedly. This had lead to many head to heads with his partner JD. JD had put up with him though and had found a rhythm that worked for both of them. Vice had been a good fit for him at first and his attitude had helped but it got old fast. Friction on the job lead to friction at home and then back to the job, it was a vicious cycle. Also a reporter Steve Carlson had been on some of his cases. The man seemed laid back but he could be a problem when he had any case involving a Sentinel or Guide. He annoyed him but he hadn’t printed Jared’s name or picture so he was allowed around. His friends Tom, Mike and Chad had different jobs in the Houston PD and he got to see them and that smoothed some feathers. Lately he had been staying with them, rotating couches as he and Gen grew further apart.

 

This newest assignment might break them though. Vice had caught a smuggling case and it had lead him to a teacher at the local college named Christian ‘Chris’ Kane, provided by Carlson. Several artifacts were being smuggled along with some drugs and Chris had been able to provide intel on the artifacts. Most came from the Alabama and Coushatta Indian Reservation, which was the oldest in the state North of Houston. Chris had gotten in touch with a friend of his in the local tribal police and had arranged a meeting. Jared and JD had been the officers picked to go as it was pretty much their case now.

 

When he and JD had gotten there they were met by two white men and Jared was confused. One was pale with raven black hair and vivid blue eyes. The other was tan with brown hair and eyes and a little shorter than the other.

 

“Hello I’m detective Misha Collins and this is my partner Richard Speight Jr.” The pale one introduced them his voice is low and kind of gravely but it’s soothing to his ears.

 

“Uh…detectives [Jared Padalecki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Padalecki) and [Jeffrey Dean Morgan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Dean_Morgan)” he introduced himself and his partner.

 

“We are not what you were expecting” Misha states rather than questions.

 

“No you’re not” he confirms and is somewhat reassured by Misha’s ease and straightforwardness.

 

“You will see what you expect at the station, you may fit in a bit yourself” Misha addressed him “you not so much” he said to JD.

 

“Kind of blunt aren’t you” JD chuckled as he gave Misha a more through look over then his first glance assessment.

 

“Part of his charm” Misha’s partner Richard smirked at them and Jared thought he could be trouble if not watched.

 

“Shall we proceed?” Misha was all about business and Jared knew working with him and his partner was going to be an eye opener.

 

“Sure, lead the way” JD still sounded amused but Jared could tell from his expression and the way he held himself that he was also getting down to business.

 

They were taken to the tribal police station and sure enough it was almost exactly what they had expected. They were introduced to the rest of the officers, the place being so small there were only a few. Then they were given a desk to share and told that they would be staying with one of the officer’s aunts as the only hotel was busy and it was too cold to camp out. When they got down to business and shared notes on the case several pieces that had been missing or incomplete snapped into place. There was no easy solution and they would be there for a while.

 

They returned to the Houston to tell their boss and get a few things for their extended stay on the reservation. He and Gen had a major fight and he ended up staying with Chad before he left the next day. It wasn’t too much of a surprise when a lawyer showed up a week later to serve him divorce papers. He signed them after checking everything over and threw himself into the case.

 

Over the next few weeks he learned to hate Richard even if all his antics which drove him crazy lead to good insights and breakthroughs. His relationship with his partner JD had all the ups and downs of the worlds longest more twisted roller coaster. Also Misha was something else entirely having seen right through him and discovering his latent Sentinel abilities and helping him tune them up and use them even though he didn’t have a Guide. Misha was somewhat of a spiritualist and his training helped him use his senses without losing his core focus. Misha sent him on meditative trips into the spirit side of the Sentinel world where he could ground his senses. Misha was no Guide and that was good because as much as he liked Misha there was no way he could be around him long if it was for work or training.

 

Finally the case lead back off the reservation and looked to be done there having two people under arrest. The trail again lead back to the city but now they knew what they were looking for. A Sentinel was working the crime circuit and hand his finger in a lot of pies. In fact he and JD had gotten back just after a shoot out had taken place. It was connected to their case and so he and JD studied it closely picking out the players. Jared met the Captain of the Homicide and Major Crimes Unit Jim Beaver while working on the shootout case. The man was impressed with him and offered him and JD spots in his unit when the case was over. JD declined but after some thought he agreed and everyone congratulated him.

 

He and Gen finalized their divorce and were trying to be civil to each other as they still worked in the same precinct. But thank goodness not the same department, that would have been bad. Oddly enough she was the one to point out that he was pretty much a functioning Sentinel to which he denied. She also pointed out that the Sentinel they were tracking had a guide. This caused concern for the case and anger in Jared to catch his bad guy who was abusing his power and that of others. Every waking moment he had that he wasn’t eating or keeping clean he was on the case.

 

The major break however would come from none other than the Sentinel’s guide.

 

**4 months later**

 

Jared was up in the major crimes unit bull pen when the call came through. Samantha ‘Sam’ Ferris was Jim Beaver’s secretary and oddly JD’s wife. That had been one heck of a conversation when he had found out. Sam kept her last name and she and JD lived together as much as two people with their differing jobs could. But it seemed to work for them and they still had date nights so they could keep up with each other. It was something he and Gen could have tried but whatever they had had in the beginning had fizzled out unlike JD and Sam. Sam had been called by dispatch and gotten Jared’s attention quickly when she found out who she was talking to.

 

“Hello?” he asked and when he was met with silence was concerned. “Hello, are you there?” he tried again.

 

“Help me, Museum of Fine Art tonight, he’s going to steal it” a scared voice hissed and all his senses went on alert, his body becoming tight with nerves. The voice was male and husky even with the fear in it and it settled somewhere deep in him.

 

“Who is this, what about the museum? Are you hurt?” He needed to know these things and wanted answers now. He pushed papers around at the desk he was at looking for a blank one before he grabbed a pen.

 

“He’s going to rob it tonight, the Sentinel” the voice snapped but it was still full of fear. “Tonight, at the museum a party he’s going to rob it” the man was talking fast now but he had accented the time of the event he was talking about. From his statement he was talking to a Guide, the Guide on his case.

 

“Okay, okay” he tried to reassure the Guide, calm him down a bit. “What about you? Will you be there?” his voice was full of concern for the Guide. He had seen the security footage of the shootout and gotten a few rumors about the Sentinel they were after and his Guide. The Guide being less the willing with everything and even acting out in a manner that helped the police.

 

“Yes” the Guide confirmed without elaborating then was silent for a bit before his breathing picked up.

 

“Are you there? Are you in danger? Hello?” Jared had raised his voice and a tight grip started in his chest at whatever was happening with the Guide.

 

“Tonight, Museum of Fine Art” the Guide finally replied and there was a pause before he spoke again. “Pale blue house, three level, nice street with maples, dog next door, a baby maybe” was hissed before the line was disconnected.

 

Jared had been scribbling down the information when the line went dead. “Hello?” he asked just to be sure and wishing that he would get an answer even though he knew he wouldn’t.

 

Once he hung up he shared the information with JD, Beaver and a few other cops working the case and it was agreed that they would wait until the evening to put in motion the plan that was quickly forming. Jared could hardly wait seeming to be turned into a walking live wire. His senses seemed to bounce all over too but he never zoned out thank goodness. Night could come quickly enough and at the same time was there all too soon. They surrounded the museum an hour before the event of the evening and waited.

 

The attack team was all set up and when the signal was given to move in he was one of the first through the door to the museum. He wasn’t prepared for the fire fight that ensued trying his best to keep a hold of his senses and get his objective. He was sure that one of his shots had winged the Sentinel which he had identified during the shooting. But the Sentinel had escaped and taken the Guide with him and inside he was screaming with rage.

 

It took a little while to get things sorted out and it wasn’t until the next day they got to talk to the museum curator who had been held hostage by the Sentinel. It took time he felt they didn’t have to get all the information out of him and verify it. He had to find that house the Sentinel was at, that the Guide was at. It was another day before they were able to locate three place it could be and another half a day to get the right house, or what they were fairly certain was the right house.

 

He had begged to be one of the ones who went in and Jim had finally agreed as long as JD and his friends and a swat back up went with them. He agreed and they left using stealth to get into the area. They wanted as much of a surprise as they could manage going against a Sentinel. It truned out they wouldn’t need it.

 


	5. First Meeting Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait for this RL has net been good latley and it chased off my muse but my muse has come back. I broke this into two parts and will post the next part in a day or so.
> 
> Not beted so all mistakes are mine. Thanks for sticking with me, hope you enjoy and feel free to comment.

 

 

 

Jensen woke up stiff and in pain and cold not knowing how long he had been out but guessing it had been a while. He just lay for a few minutes trying to asses himself before looking about. He ached everywhere from the tumble down the stairs, the beating and the rapes. His head hurt to from the severed connection to the Sentinel. His emotions flowed freely and made him feel raw and thin like being pulled in too many directions at once. He was on his left side and could see the corpse of the Sentinel thankfully facing away from him a few feet from him. Closer and starting at his hips was the body of red and he desperately wished he had the strength to kick red’s corpse. He didn’t see black but he knew he was dead so black had to be behind him somewhere. Not being able to do anything and still being tired Jensen closed his eyes, prayed someone would come find him and soon and drifted off to sleep again.

When he woke a second time he still felt like death warmed over but better than the last time he had opened his eyes. He was still stiff but he was sure he could move now if he did it very slowly. He almost gasped in pain as his stomach clenched and he realized how hungry he was, his stomach was completely empty and his throat felt as dry as a desert he was so thirsty. He was also disgusted to realize that in his weakened sleep he had made a mess of himself. He felt embarrassed even though he knew he had had no control over what happened. He needed to move so taking a deep breath and gritting his teeth he moved his left leg pulling it up towards his body then his right but stopped after a moment. His right leg was heavier than his left and something cold lay on his ankle. Pulling it up again he looked down to see a manacle around his ankle attached to a chain leading off.

“Shit” he breathed out as he realized he was not as free as he thought. He had no idea where the key to the manacle might be and he didn’t relish the idea of searching the bodies for it. He would do it if it meant getting the hell out of here but he wasn’t ready to do it just yet. He didn’t want to have to see the face of the Sentinel right now. He needed a distraction so focused again on moving.

Once he got his legs up next to him he slowly moved his arms around to loosen then before bringing them down in front of him. Now came the hard part of rolling over onto his front. It took him two tries but he did it and had to stay lowered to the ground panting when he finally made it. After a while he tried pushing up onto his hands and knees which popped in protest. Again he took a small breather before pitching back to stand on his knees. A little dizzy from being upright he waited until he could stand hunched over then slowly straighten himself out. His back cracked and he had to close his eyes to fight off dizzy nausea but he was standing.

When he could open his eyes and not be dizzy he looked around and took in his situation. The chain attached to his ankle was almost pulled taunt from its anchor bolted to the floor where he had been strung up earlier. He could take maybe three more steps towards the stair which seemed a long way off from where he was but was probably only a good twenty feet or so. What was left of his cloths were torn up and flung towards the wall behind him. He could reach them with a bit of stretching but wasn’t sure how useful they would be. Almost all the tools he had been beaten and tortured with were put away out of reach when they weren’t used so only a bat, a paddle and some rope were within access to him. Red and black had more than likely used those while he was killing the Sentinel. Half a bottle of water was within reach as well left over from them trying to drown him. That left the bodies.

Black had indeed been behind him and his body lay with his lower half in one direction and his upper in another thankfully not facing him. The Sentinel and red were bloody but black was not and he really didn’t want to remember how it got to be that way. He would look for the key on them in a bit not ready to touch them yet.

Instead he worked as many kinks out of his body as he could loosening his stiff muscles. It took forever but he was eventually moving at a not sails pace. He got the water bottle first and took one drink willing himself to not take another. As thirsty as he was he knew it had to last until someone found him or he rationed it out and died later. He shook his head banishing those negative thoughts. He would be found, he had to be! With some stretching he managed to get what was left of his cloths. His shirt was whole enough to wrap around his waist and cover himself well enough but the pants and boxers were just rags. He used what was left of his boxers to clean himself up as best he could before discarding them. He couldn’t find his shoes or socks and spotted his jacket close to the end of the stairs.

Finally it was time to check over the bodies for a key to his ankle chain. All three men didn’t have their jackets, shoes or socks and he didn’t know where they were. The Sentinel was without his shirt and his pants were undone but blessfully up. His hands shook terribly as he pulled at the pockets and turned them out. There was nothing and he moved away from the Sentinel’s corpse as quickly as he could. His hands still shook but not as bad as he checked red’s pockets and again came up empty. Dread filled him as he turned out black’s pockets and there was no key, however there was a small box of mints. Gathering his courage he striped black of his shirt as it was the least bloody. Placing the shirt his rags, water bottle and mints next to where the chain was anchored to the floor he set about the hardest and grossest task.

While searching the bodies for the key he had come to the conclusion that he had to get the bodies as far from him as possible. He had no idea how long he had been down here or how long until someone came to rescue him but the bodies would become a problem. Steeling himself he decided to start with the Sentinel wanting to use what strength he had to get that body as far as he could from him. He rolled the body as it was easier than carrying or pulling and pushing, going so far as to lay on the ground and stretch out when his ankle couldn’t go any further. Red was next after a breather and he ended up getting the bat and using it as leverage to push moving the Sentinel even further. Another longer breather and black was last and the hardest as he was tired again. When he was done he took the bat and went to his this allowing himself a mint and a sip of water as a reward. Balling up his rags he used them as a pillow and curled up covering himself with black’s shirt. When he slept he dreamt of nothing but heard the roaring of a tiger and slept deeply.

He drifts in and out for what seems an eternity rationing the water and mints and getting up and pacing when he can. Finally his supplies run out and still no one has come. He figures it may have been a few days as the bodies have begun to stink. He was weak from before but with this waiting he has a harder time getting up and eventually even staying awake. He fears he will die here alone and no one knowing or caring. His dreams have been of deserts and nothing instead of the jungle he once loved. There however is the constant roaring of that tiger which once hopeful and a little soothing now threaten to drive him crazy. He is asleep dreaming of the desert when it happens, he sees the tiger appear in front of him as if it sprung up from the sand. The tiger is huge and fierce looking and it roars showing off large ivory teeth before suddenly leaping at him giant paws outstretched, claws extended. He screams and slams his eyes shut hunkering down to make himself smaller and try and protect himself. His eyes snap open and he shot up screaming in reality. There are two people here and he can hear more coming, he can feel them coming and he draws himself up into a ball.

The people before him are men in dark cloths and vests with guns in their hands which are not pointed at him at present. Both are older than him but the one closest to him not by much. The one closest to him in a crouch has brown hair that looks floppy and doesn’t match his outfit. Hazel eyes look him over with concern and his mouth is in a frown. This man’s emotions are strong with concern, confusion, anger, protectiveness and happiness mixing together. The second man who stands a few feet away is older like his father with dark hair that is black with some gray mixed in. His face is half covered with a beard and his mouth is also frowning and his brown eyes and still looking the room and the bodies over. His emotions are anger, concern, and confusion, there is no happiness to this man.

His gaze is drawn to the stairs as two more men come down and their emotions fill the room and he curls up tighter his head beginning to hurt the emotions pushing at him. He lets out a groan and the man in front of him straightens bit and turns his head to look at the men behind him.

“Get out guys, JD wait at the stairs” the guys voice is hard and authoritive leaving no room for anything but obedience. The two new men hesitate for a second then go back up the stairs at a regular pace. The older man with them must be JD as he moves to the stairs and takes a seat on the third step and waits.

He can breathe easier and relaxes a little now that there are fewer emotions bombarding him. The younger man in front of him just waits as he gets a better grip on himself and his emotions. He looks up at the man from under his lashes when a wave of soothing calm emotions reach him. He and the man just continue to look at each other for a few minutes as he gradually unfolds himself to sit cross legged his head up and back somewhat straight.

“I’m Jared” the man says and smiles at him flashing actual dimples, his eyes sparkle with kindness and it almost takes his breath away.

 

**********

 

Jared sat in the back of the truck between JD and Tom and across from Mike and Chad his leg bouncing almost a mile a minute. JD said nothing knowing how he could be after working with him so long. Tom watched him out of the corner of his eye the profiler in him no doubt making notes. Mike had been pulled in from the bomb squad just in case there were any bobby traps and surprises. The Sentinel Christopher Heyerdahl had used them once before and they weren’t going to take any chances. Chad was here to monitor all the radio activity and handle any messages and tech they needed. Also if the media somehow got wind of this and showed up he could take care of it. Jim was up front with the driver ready if he was needed beyond organization and support. There was a truck behind them full of swat men who would be deployed as they set up to cover them when they entered the house that was supposed to be the Sentinel’s base. Last came the forensics truck with Gen for when they were done to collect any evidence in the house. Medical aid was standing by within close range just in case but wouldn’t be on the scene unless needed along with transport for any prisoners. Chad had gotten the phone numbers of the houses surrounding their target house and called urging anyone home to leave in a peaceful and non-hurried manner. There had indeed been a baby in residence at the house next to their target. The dog, a noisy little thing had been two houses over. They circled the block the swat getting in place before parking a few houses from their target house. The house had belonged to an old man who had been checked into the hospital a week before. No one in the neighborhood had called in about a break in so the Sentinel must have used some story to not alert anyone or no one saw them. No one could remember anyone moving about the house since the incident at the museum and they hadn’t seen any since circling the house. Jared wasn’t sure what that meant but something inside him was telling him this was it. Something would happen today he knew it, he didn’t know how but he did.

“Alright look alive gentleman” Jim turned in his seat and looked back at him and the rest of his friends. “Two minutes” he nodded at them taking a moment to look each of them in the eye.

They had agreed when they left the station that he and JD would take the basement, and Tom and Mike would take the upstairs after they had cleared the main floor.

“Be careful and go” Jim finally gave the order and Mike opened the back door and jumped out followed by Tom, him and then JD. Chad stayed and opened three laptops he’s been holding placing them on the seats they had vacated. Forming a circle their backs to each other to face all directions they moved down to the target house. No one stopped them and they encountered no trouble getting to the front door. Mike took a quick look over it as Jared kept his senses alert for anything both coming up empty. Moving to stand at the sides of the door Tom and Mike on one side him and JD on the other Mike opened the door. After a second JD entered sliding around the corner to not block the way followed by Tom who took the other side. He went next and Mike followed after all of them sweeping the room for danger. He closed off his senses so as to not lose focus on what he was doing or zone out when danger could be anywhere.

Nobody and nothing came at them and they stood facing an ordinary looking living room with a half wall with a kitchen on the other side. A narrow set of stairs was on Tom and Mikes side and Tom was facing it gun up head twisted to see up it. There was a hall off the far end of the living room with three open doors. Tom waved a hand at them and stayed where he was to cover the stairs as he, JD and Mike moved to check out the rest of the floor. Mike made his way towards the kitchen before quickly darting a look over the half wall gum moving with him. He shook his head and moved to the open way and further into the kitchen as he and JD moved on to the hall of doors. Two on the right and one on the left spaced out with the opposite in the middle of the three. JD checked the first room, an empty bed room, he checked the second, a bathroom and JD got the third an office also empty. They moved back out to the living room where Mike waited and JD waved Mike over to Tom. Once Mike reached him the two of them started moving up the stairs. JD took the lead and they moved to the kitchen where the door to the basement was.

Like with the front door they each took a side and JD opened the door knowing Mike would have looked it over when he checked the kitchen. The stairs leading down were narrow and there was only dim light coming from down below. What got to him and made him take a step back and gag a bit was the smell. JD had smelled it too but not as bad as him from his reaction and he realized he was using his senses. He pushed the smell away focusing like Misha taught him before nodding at JD and stepping onto the first step. Crouching so he could see as he took a few more steps gun in front of him and turned towards the open space down the stairs he didn’t notice that it got a little brighter. His heart was pounding in his chest and he felt restless like he could jump out of his skin which was tingling and he had to keep his breath even and stop himself from moving faster.

There were bodies within view but he couldn’t see any faces “got bodies” he muttered knowing Tom and Mike would hear him on the radios they all had. He kept his gun trained on the ground as he reached the bottom JD on his heels and got a better look at the bodies. Three were laid out together, pressed together really the first two facing each other and the third facing the two. They were bloated and discolored meaning they had been there for a while, their faces oddly contorted. Even that couldn’t stop him from recognizing one of them as the Sentinel Christopher Heyerdahl. It would of course have to be confirmed by Cindy Sampson the medical examiner and forensic nurse. The fourth body was a ways off from the others and curled in on itself. A wave of sadness passed him as he realized it was the Guide. He focused on the man and noticed a slight rise of the man’s side and immediately his senses flared. He hears a heartbeat from the man even though it is weak and slow. He reigns in his senses as he moves forward towards the man JD noticing and slowly following.

“We got a live one” he says softly even though he wants to shout it out to the world. He wants to run to the Guides side but walks in measured steps instead. Part of him reaches out for the guide as he approaches and when he is close crouches a little to get a better look. As soon as he does the Guides eyes snap open and he jack knifes up his mouth opening and a screaming coming out. It stops him for a second and he looks the Guide over a well of emotions going through him as he takes the man’s appearance in as much as he can with the Guide now again curled up.

The guide curls up tighter and lets out a groan, his face a look of pain and he notices that Tom and Mike have made it down stairs. He straightens up a bit in his crouch and looks over his shoulder at his friends.

“Get out guys,” his tone serious as he addresses his friends “JD wait by the stairs” he finishes before turning back to the Guide. He can hear the others move and doesn’t care just watches the Guide. He tries to be calm as he waits thinking of the meditations Misha taught him and presenting calm. As he does the Guide looks at him from under ridiculously long lashes with brilliant green eyes and he has to scold himself for thinking that. They start at each other for a while the Guide slowly uncurling and sitting up almost straight.

The Guide is younger then he thought of at least younger looking, dark blonde hair cut short, freckles across his nose and a little on his cheeks. He is almost naked and that allows him to see how pale and thin the Guide is as well as the multitude of cuts, welts and bruises that mix with the dirt he’s covered in.

“I’m Jared” he introduces himself and smiles at the Guide hoping to put him at ease some more.


	6. First Meeting Part 2

Jensen continues to stare at the man and can tell he is a Sentinel but didn’t say anything. His shields were still shit but Sentinel Jared’s calm is helping. He knows that with the cops being here, because that’s what these people are, he will get to leave this hell hole. But in doing that he will have to be around other people, at least for a while. He wonders were Sentinel Jared’s Guide is and if Sentinel Jared will give his Guide permission to help him. He can get a little energy from the Guide and the Guide can help him with his shields until he gets to a hospital. The other men can’t be Guides as Sentinel Jared wouldn’t have sent them away. Unless he was like Sentinel Christopher and that made him shiver a bit.

“Are you cold?” Sentinel Jared’s voice is concerned and he can feel it as well and a small part of something in him shifted.

He shook his head but didn’t answer verbally. Sentinel Jared didn’t get angry with his lack of response and they just continued to sit for a while. Sentinel Jared kept up the calm that was occasionally tinged with sadness, concern, worry and angry guilt. The last confused him because it meant that Sentinel Jared might care a bit about him. He took what he could from it, reaching out to snag the emotions and putting them into making some kind of barrier. After a while he could tell and see from the corner of his eye that Sentinel Jared’s partner JD was getting restless. Sentinel Jared must have realized this too because he leaned forward a bit as he focused on his eyes.

“Are you ready to leave?” Sentinel Jared asked instead of told him and that something inside him that had shifted seemed to reach out for the Sentinel.

He nodded after a moment still not talking and the Sentinel nodded back.

The Sentinel Jared stood up and looked around eyes stopping on the cabinet holding Sentinel Christopher’s tools. He walks over and his partner JD stands up on the stairs. Sentinel Jared waves him off but JD doesn’t sit instead remains standing. Sentinel Jared opens the doors and just stands for a moment looking at everything inside. He lowers his eyes knowing everything the Sentinel is seeing. After a moment the Sentinel walks back over to him and crouches down. He looks at the Sentinel who had a set of keys in his hand.

“Can I touch you?” Sentinel Jared asks and waits for him to answer.

He knows that he will have to be touched but to be asked overwhelms him for a moment and his eyes get blurry with tears before he blinks them away. He pulls at whatever shields he has left to steady himself. After a moment he nodes and Sentinel Jared moves towards him slowly staying in a crouch that can’t be comfortable.

Sentinel Jared’s touch is light and gentle around his ankle as he tries the keys on the manacle lock and the fourth one works. He lets out a breath as he is set free and Sentinel Jared lets go of him.

“I know you probably can’t walk but I don’t think a gurney can make it down here” Sentinel Jared puts the keys down but doesn’t move away. “I’m going to carry you out okay” Sentinel Jared doesn’t ask this time but he has already given his permission to be touched so he figures that is why. Sentinel Jared picks up the shirt that had been covering him and fell off when he sat up and had forgotten about with other people here. It is draped over him before his is encircled in Sentinel Jared’s arms and lifted as Sentinel Jared stands.

He is cradled almost like a small child against Sentinel Jared’s chest and he can smell him very clearly now. Gun oil mixes with some kind of detergent and soap along with sweat and it’s kind of nice. He begins to shake as Sentinel Jared reaches his partner JD and they begin to climb the stairs.

“I have the Guide and we are going to need a gurney and ambulance to the hospital” Sentinel Jared says and he tilts his head seeing an ear bud around the Sentinel’s ear and a wire that was hidden by his hair. “Tom, Mike clear the way I want anyone unnecessary out of the way. Send in the evidence team and the coroners” Sentinel Jared goes on as he turns his head into the Sentinel’s chest. The Sentinel’s partner JD moves in front of them kind of like a shield and he closes his eyes against the brightness of the kitchen. He doesn’t open his eyes as he is carried through the house but he can hear and feel people after a while. He is glad of Sentinel Jared’s bigger frame as he is held a little closer as he feels they going outside.

He opens his eyes slowly and squints as he feels himself being lowered taking in the gurney, two female paramedics and the blue sky above Sentinel Jared’s head. The Sentinel released him slowly but he didn’t want him to leave just yet so before the Sentinel could pull back he reached out and took the Sentinel’s wrist. Sentinel Jared looked down at him but didn’t remove his hand just staying still as the paramedics covered him with a blanket.

“Stay?” his voice was weak but he knew Sentinel Jared would hear him.

Sentinel Jared looked over his shoulder and tilted his head towards him and waited before turning to one of the paramedics. “Get him ready and to the ambulance I will be there in a minute, don’t leave without me” he instructed. Sentinel Jared looked back down at him and smiled a little pulling his wrist from him. “I’ll be right back okay you will be fine until then.” With that Sentinel Jared backed away not turning around for a few steps and the paramedic had started moving him in the opposite direction.

He was wheeled to an ambulance where he was fitted with a breathing mask with fresh oxygen and an IV was put into his hand. Not moving the blankets he was stretched out onto his back and his eyes, and blood pressure were checked before a heart monitor was attached to his finger and one slipped under the blanket and onto his chest. He felt a bit nauseous as the gurney was lifted and pushed into the ambulance. One of the paramedic got in and sat next to the gurney and a few moments later he heard rushing footsteps and Sentinel Jared was climbing in. The doors were closed and Sentinel Jared looked down at him.

“I’ll be here for the ride and I can stay at the hospital but I can’t follow you into the treatment rooms. A rep from the Guide Center will be waiting at the hospital and they will stay with you for treatment. When you are done I’ll take your statement if you can give it and then I have to report back to work.” Sentinel Jared outline what was going to happen to him in the near future and while he was glad the Sentinel would stay he was scared of anything to do with the Center.

He was a full Guide now and after he recovered he would be sent for training and assigned to another Sentinel. His heart rate picked up a bit at this thought and the ambulance had started moving taking him closer to that future.

“Take it easy or I’ll have to give you something” the paramedic beside him said.

He tried to focus, to calm down and his spirit called out brushing another and he took a little energy from it. He managed to calm down enough that the paramedic didn’t give him anything. It wasn’t a very long ride to the hospital and Sentinel Jared stayed with him as long as possible like he’d said.

The representative from the Guide Center was waiting and followed him into a treatment room. There were two doctors and a nurse who worked on him after removing the blanket and shredded rags he had for cloths. He was asked questions about what had happened, what had these wounds come from, how long ago from the doctors which he didn’t answer. They weren’t rough with him on purpose but they just moved him however they wanted to do what they needed. He was photographed before treatment and before each part of him was treated and after which humiliated him but he didn’t say anything. The nurse thank god did the rape kit with the doctor’s supervision. The Guide representative also asked questions like who he was, how old was he, how long had he been a guide and a bonded guide. He never spoke and it irritated the people around him and made his head hurt. The doctors conferred with the representative and he was given a blocker that helped temporarily numb his mind to all the input it was getting. After what seemed like forever he was moved to a recovery room and told he would be there over night and sometime next day he would be taken to the nearest State Guide Program Center for further treatment and rest before training.

“Hey you look better” Sentinel Jared said as he came into his recovery room not long after he had been moved in. “I heard you aren’t up for talking” Sentinel Jared went on as he pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed he was in. “I can wait a little while and I hope you can give me a statement but if you can’t right now I understand” Sentinel Jared didn’t sound upset by his lack of talking. “But I do need to take your fingerprints” Sentinel Jared took something that looked like a phone from his pocket. “Can I do that now?”

He was surprised again when he was asked for something rather than having it done like the doctors did while treating him. He nodded “yes” his voice was soft and shaky but it made Sentinel Jared smile.

Sentinel Jared turned on the device and it glowed before he typed in commands. A little square appeared in the middle of the screen with ‘right thumb’ printed below it. “We’ll start here” Sentinel Jared held the screen up for him before taking his right hand and moving his out holding it steady as he pressed it to the screen. After a second it beeped and his thumb was pulled back and he was his print on the screen. “It works like a scanner” Sentinel Jared said as his thumb print disappeared and new box showed up labeled ‘right fore finger’. Sentinel Jared printed all his fingers before typing more commands into the device and shutting it off. Sentinel Jared looked at his watch and sighed before looking back at him. “I have to leave in a few minutes is there anything you want to tell me?”

He felt kinda bad for not talking after Sentinel Jared had been patient with him but he wasn’t ready. He shook his head and looked away for a moment before looking back.

“Alright I understand,” Sentinel Jared stood up and put the chair back “get better okay” he smiled at him again and then left. He felt kind of like Sentinel Jared was taking a part of him with him when he left but dismissed the thought. It wasn’t possible they were not bonded and he didn’t want to be bonded again to anyone. He fell into a restless sleep and woke up sometime the next day when a nurse checked on him and switched out his IV. He was given some soup for lunch late in the day before being moved to a gurney, loaded into a special transport and taken to a State Guide Program Center.

 

**********

 

The Guide doesn’t answer Jared and they just continue to sit in silence. He continues to present a calm he got from meditation hoping it will help. After a while the Guide shivers and he does notice it’s cool down here. “Are you cold?” He asks concerned for the young Guide but the Guide shakes his head and says nothing. He feels sad for the Guide and slightly guilty and angry that they didn’t get here sooner. He has no idea when the Sentinel Christopher and the other men died but from the look and smell it’s been a while. He is not sorry they are dead but is that the Guide had to be here so long with their bodies. He is pulled from this line of thought by JD getting restless. That JD hasn’t said or done anything yet is surprising with how things have been between them lately. He leans forward a bit and locks eyes with the Guide “are you ready to leave?”

The Guide nods again still not speaking and he nods back. Standing up he looks around again. He had taken a quick look when he and JD came down to make sure there wasn’t a treat but he never really logs what he saw as long as it wasn’t a danger. There is a large cabinet off to the side and he walks over to it and JD stands up as if to come to him. He waves JD off and then opens the door to the cabinet and freezes. There are all kinds of tools in here half meant to torture and some have blood on them, no doubt the Guides. On the side of the door is a key ring with several keys and he takes it walking back to the Guide and crouching down again.

“Can I touch you?” He asks knowing that the Guide is scared and that touch may hurt him and he won’t do that to the already wounded young Guide if he can help it. The Guides eyes shine and he thinks the Guide may cry for a second until the Guide nods and no tears fall. Moving slowly in his crouch he gets close to the Guide and takes his ankle in his hand. There are a few keys on the ring and he has to try three before the fourth one fits and the lock is undone the manacle falling away. He lets go of the Guides ankle and looks him over quickly. He needs help but the stairs are narrow and the medics will still need to drive up.

“I know you probably can’t walk but I don’t think a gurney can make it down here” he sets the keys down next to the manacle but doesn’t move away from the Guide. “I’m going to carry you out okay” he informs the Guide before reaching for what he is sure is a shirt that had been covering the Guide when he and JD came in. He lays it over the Guide to shield him for when they get out of here and wraps the Guide in his arms before standing. The Guide is not little but feels lighter then he knows the Guide should feel. He moves swiftly to JD’s side and the Guide begins to shake.

He held the Guide close as he went up the steps to the main floor, the Guide never stopped shaking. JD was ahead of him not saying anything so he knows it’s his show and his call. “I have the Guide and we are going to need a gurney and ambulance to the hospital” he says knowing his mike will pick up the command. “Tom, Mike clear the way I want anyone unnecessary out of the way. Send in the evidence team and the coroners” he knows to preserve the scene as well as cut back on anything to upset the Guide. The Guide had shut his eyes when they got to the kitchen but it doesn’t matter they need to leave. Taking the walk a little slower through the house to the door will help to not aggravate the Guide.

As he carries the Guide all the way out of the house he passes Genevieve and her crew on their way in. The pinched look she gives him as he passes he gives no real thought to as they both have work to do. Two women paramedic are pulling a gurney up the lawn and meet him half way. He is a little reluctant to set the Guide down but does so slowly. As he laid the Guide out the Guide opened his eyes squinting at him. He is surprised when the Guide takes hold of his wrist and speaks for the first time.

“Stay?” the Guide voice was weak and scared but he hears it very clearly.

He looks over his shoulder and after a moment meets Jim’s eyes who is looking over his way. He tilts his head towards the Guide and waits.

“Come talk to me for a second then you can get back to him” Jims voice is rough in his ear over the radio.

He turns to one of the paramedics “get him ready and to the ambulance I will be there in a minute, don’t leave without me” he instructs. Then he looks back down at the Guide and smiles a little pulling his wrist from the Guides weak hold. “I’ll be right back okay you will be fine until then” he reassures before walking away slowly not turning around until the paramedics are moving towards the ambulance on the street.

“What do we got?” Jim asks when he gets to Jims side. JD, Tom and Mike are there and he knows Chad can hear them from wherever he is.

“Three dead in the basement, one is our Sentinel suspect the others are probably his hired muscle” he starts. “The Guide was most likely his and is in a pretty bad shape, won’t talk. I want to ride with him, try and get a statement or any information.” He hopes Jim will agree to him stay with the Guide for a bit. Something about the Guide pulls at a piece of him deep inside.

“Fine go with him, question him but if he won’t talk come back to the station to fill out your report” Jim gives him the go ahead he’d hoped for. “The State Guide Program Center will have to be called for him so JD do that” Jim instructs.

JD gives him a look and he nods and JD goes off to do what he’s ordered.

“Take this and get his fingerprints” Chad says from right beside him holding up some kind of techno gadget and he nearly wants to jump out of his skin. He had been focused on to do with the Guide he hadn’t noticed his friend. He takes the device which looks like a phone on closer inspection and heads back to the ambulance quickly.

The Guide has been loaded and one of the paramedics just climbed in when he reaches them so he just climbs in as well sitting next to the paramedic before the doors are closed.

He looks down at the Guide who looks like a real patient now with all the wires on him. “I’ll be here for the ride and I can stay at the hospital but I can’t follow you into the treatment rooms. A rep from the Guide Center will be waiting at the hospital and they will stay with you for treatment. When you are done I’ll take your statement if you can give it and then I have to report back to work.” He tells the Guide what is going to happen and watches as the Guide panics a little.

“Take it easy or I’ll have to give you something” the paramedic beside him tells the Guide as the ambulance starts moving.

The Guide takes a moment but calms a bit and the rest of the ride to the hospital is silent. When they get there there is a representative waiting for the Guide. The Guide is taken in for treatment and he paces the floor nervously while he waits. It is a long wait and he gets looks from a few of the staff before a doctor tells him he can see the Guide who has been moved to a recovery room. When he enters the Guide looks a bit better than before.

“Hey you look better” he admits to what he is thinking aloud as he walks into the room. “I heard you aren’t up for talking” he goes on as he pulls up a chair and sits next to the bed the Guide is resting was in. “I can wait a little while and I hope you can give me a statement but if you can’t right now I understand” he wants to make sure the Guide knows there is no pressure. “But I do need to take your fingerprints” he takes the device Chad gave him from his pocket. “Can I do that now?”

The Guide looks at him before nodding and actually answering a small “yes.”

He turns the device on and looks at it before selecting the menu and pushing buttons that get a fingerprint card pulled up. A square replace it a second later with ‘right thumb’ and he gets it. “We’ll start here” he holds the screen up for the Guide to see before taking the Guides right hand and moving the thumb out holding it steady as he pressed it to the screen. After a second it beeped and he pulls the thumb back and the print on the screen. “It works like a scanner” he say as the thumb print disappeared and new box showed up labeled ‘right fore finger’. He printed all the Guides fingers before typing more commands into the device sending the prints to Chad and shutting it off. He looks at his watch and sighs before looking back at the Guide. “I have to leave in a few minutes is there anything you want to tell me?” He hopes that the Guide will tell him something but he gets only a head shake as a response.

“Alright I understand,” he replies to the non-answer and stands up moving the chair back to where he got it “get better okay” he smiles at the Guide before turning and leaving. He stops at the nurses’ station where the Guide Representative is.

“Can I come back for his statement tomorrow?” he asks as the Representative looks at him.

“He is being taken to the State Guide Program Center tomorrow for recover and retraining. We’ll have one of our staff get a statement and send it to you” the Representative says dismissively.

There is nothing there for him and he has to leave, he has his own statement to give and reports to fill out. As he leaves he feels that something is wrong a nagging at the back of his mind. The feeling you get when you leave the house and think you left the stove on or something. He shakes his head and looks for a cab where he knows they park for visitors. He needs to focus on work and hopeful that will help clear his mind.


	7. Closer to the edge of forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to put this up I have been working on it and a few other stories at the same time but here it is! Also working on the next chapter which is an interlude with other characters parts! Almost done with part one of this series. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

When Jensen arrives at the State Guide Program Center or SGPC he is checked into their medical center. It is nothing like the hospital room he was in just an hour and a half ago. For one the bed is very basic and has restraints which he is attached to (for his own safety). Another thing is all the equipment is along the walls with the beds in the middle of the room with just a small curtain on ceiling rails for privacy. The blankets are small, scratchy and thin and the room is kept cold. He is sure the nurses won’t be as kind and the food will be shitty. He is informed that he will get to rest here for three days before he starts his disciplinary training before he can be put in with the other Guides for preparation matching training. Once he was settled into his temporary bed he met [Nicki Lynn Aycox](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicki_Lynn_Aycox), a short woman with blonde hair to her shoulders, dark eyes that held no happiness and an almost permanent frown. She was the woman who was responsible for matching Sentinels with Guides. She wanted to know about Sentinel Christopher and what kind of bond they had. She had not liked his answer that the Sentinel had been an asshole and he could rot in hell and the bond they had was inhumane. She was also in partnership with a man named [Fredric Lehne](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredric_Lehne) who would be responsible for his discipline and adjustment training. After Fredric deemed him fit from each level she would confer with him and check Jensen’s state so she could when all was corrected with him be matched properly. He hated her and she seemed almost pleased which didn’t sit too well with him. After she left it didn’t take him to long to become bored so he tried to sleep until meal time. No one talked to him until then and after it was much the same and it was both a blessing and a curse. He didn’t want to talk about what had happened to him or what was going to happen to him but he also wanted some kind of company. He was given another injection of the mind numbing drug to help him through the night but he slept fitfully waking every now and then. There were the beginnings of nightmares but he never went to his relaxing dream scape. Breakfast was accompanied by a man a little shorter than him with brown hair buzz cut short to his head and brown eyes set deep and a smile that gave him the creeps.

“Good morning Jensen, I’m [Fredric Lehne](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredric_Lehne) your trainer for your stay here” his voice was deep and he sounded a bit amused at something.

He just started at Fredric a little surprised that they knew his name and Fredric seemed to know this.

“Yes we know your name” Fredric’s smile grew “you were finger printed by the police. Also your parents filled out a report with us two years ago. Some interesting things in your file” Fredric seemed to taunt him.

He didn’t take the bait instead he shrugged and waited. Fredric reminded him a bit of Sentinel Christopher and he knew if he waited long enough the man would tell him what he eventually wanted to know. He had learned cruel men liked to brag and he could sense that Fredric was a cruel man.

“Your parents have been called and alerted that you have been found. Once they were informed you were now an active Guide up for adjustment they granted us your rights. They won’t be coming to see you and we’ll send them some compensation when you get bonded.” Fredric looked him over then never losing his smile “rest up we have a lot to do you and I” with that he left.

He may not have liked the slop the center called oatmeal but he was glad to have something and he knew he would need it. So he ate all the while thinking about something he would really rather be eating instead of what he had.

Besides the orderlies bringing him food and the nurses changing his IV and taking him to the bathroom every now and then he just laid in bed and waited for his three days to be over. By the time he was ready to be moved he almost didn’t care where to as long as it was away from the tiny bed and plain curtain walls. On his fourth morning both Nicki and Fredric arrived at his bed side when the orderly took his breakfast tray away and a nurse took out his IV. Nicki had a file in her hands and Fredric had a pile of cloths which turned out to be a grey jumpsuit similar to the kind used in prison but this one had velcro instead of buttons or zippers. He thankfully gets to change in the bathroom as he receives no underwear with the jumpsuit, there are also no socks or shoes. When he returns to the bed he isn’t allowed back on it instead he stands in front of Nicki and Fredric.

“You start your discipline and adjustment training today” Nicki started as she opened her folder but didn’t look at it. “You will be under Fredric’s care until you complete all the levels. After you have finished each level we will have a conference and I will assess your progress. This can take a long time or no time at all the choice is up to you.”

“I hope you pick the easy choice and obey then you can be bonded and on your way” Fredric gave him another one of his creepy smiles.

He didn’t say anything and even if he did he doubted it would matter much. He didn’t want to obey and fall in line like some mindless drone. He hadn’t done anything bad, he was a victim and now a survivor not a trouble maker. But that didn’t seem to matter to the people running the SGPC, they saw what they wanted and whatever was on their own agenda.

“When all is done I will find you a Sentinel you are best suited to serve” Nicki finished.

“Arms out, hands together” Fredric ordered and he did as Fredric commanded. Fredric bonded his hands with thick straps taken from a pouch on his side that were also velcro. “Don’t fight now” Fredric warned as he pulled a long dark strip of leather out of his pouch. It was a collar which would show all who saw it that he was untrust worthy, unruly and had been disciplined. It was a mark of shame for any Guide to wear a collar especially a black one.

He tried and failed not to flinch as Fredric wrapped the leather strip around his neck. It was pulled flush but not hindering of his breathing and fastened. He didn’t think he would be able to take it off even if he tried. And if he did somehow manage to get it off he knew he would be punished for it. When it was done Nicki handed over the file and Fredric signed something on it before giving it back and she signed as well.

“All right now, I trust you are more than capable of handling Jensen” Nicki nodded at Fredric. “I will see you at the completion of level one” she addressed him but didn’t wait for any answer before leaving the room.

He watched her leave not daring to move as Fredric stood beside him until she was out of sight.

“You and me are going to have so much fun” Fredric said in a lowered voice as he leaned in close. “Don’t cause me any trouble now, wouldn’t want to get bad marks on your first day and all” Fredric grabbed his shoulder and he did flinch making Fredric chuckle.

He was lead out of the medical wing and to an elevator that took him down to a lower level. He had no idea if it was ground floor or a sublevel. When they got to the correct floor he was taken through a series of corridors and doors until they got to another elevator and again went down. This time he knew he was below ground when they got out and into a dingy corridor that was lit with florescent lights that somehow still left shadows at the same time it managed to be almost too bright for his eyes. It was cold down here and he shivered a bit as he walked, the cold seeping into his feet and beginning to turn them numb. All the doors were metal and looked heavy and had small windows with wire mesh in the thick glass and a number above the window. It was quite however but he knew he couldn’t be the only one down here and it puzzled him a bit. They stopped not far down the row and he was turned to face a door.

“Lucky number seven” Fredric almost sighed with glee before he opened the door.

The room was small, dimly lit, cold like the hall and bare save a folded blanket in the corner. He was pushed inside and once he had regained his footing from stumbling turned to face Fredric.

“Let’s begin shall we” and his eyes almost seemed to light up with something cold and menacing from within.

**2 Months later**

He was so tired but he couldn’t sleep, they wouldn’t let him. It was almost like being with Sentinel Christopher except they couldn’t cut him up. He was kept starved, sleep deprived, humiliated and beaten down with lowered shields because he wouldn’t obey. He wouldn’t submit. The worst however was the assaults both physical and mental. With his shields lowered he was susceptible to suggestion and with the dugs they had been giving him he was helpless. He had been made to do things, touch people, let people touch him and every physical touch was coupled with a mental touch. He was dirty inside and out and he could do nothing about it. He had fought so hard to survive being bonded to Sentinel Christopher but this was almost no better and he was unsure if he could survive this. Being stuck here in the adjustment center of the SGPC he had no change in scenery or exercise like he had with Sentinel Christopher. He had no relief from the torture his trainers called behavior modification and it was slowly making him crazy. His dreams were becoming hallucinations and it scared him that his mental state was so bad he had started to blur the lines of reality and fantasy.

It was noises at first when there shouldn’t have been any, then things flashing just in the corners of his peripheral vision. Within the last few days or what he believed to be days as it was almost impossible to tell time where he was he swore he saw shadows of an animal. It was big and he was willing to bet it was some kind of big cat if he went off the roars he had heard every so often in his dreams.

He managed to get a little sleep after getting some water and broth but was awakened when he felt a presence in the room. He was curled up in a ball with his one blanket blinking his eyes slowly when it materialized by the door and he sat bolt upright his breathing becoming ragged.

Standing starting at him was a tiger, a very big tiger. It had to be a hallucination because tigers just didn’t randomly appear out of thin air but still he was scared of it. It looked at him with such focus as if it was looking into him and not just at him. But he didn’t feel as if he was being judged, it almost seemed sad looking at him. But then it started towards him and he couldn’t help letting out a whimper. When it got close he gasped as he felt a protective calmness emanating from the tiger, something he had felt before but from a person or rather a Sentinel. When the tiger reached him it let out a whine of its own before turning and laying down making a barrier between him and the door. If it were real it would be close enough to touch, to maybe even feel heat coming from its massive body. He felt safer even though the tiger could do nothing for him if Fredric or another trainer came in. He thought of how the Sentinel named Jared had made him feel a bit like this as he lay back down. He knew of spirit animals and decided this one must be the Sentinel Jared’s. Why it was here with him he had no idea but it was comforting and his eyes drooped shut as he watched it. The sleep he got next was the longest best sleep he’s had since he had been brought to cell seven.

**1 month later**

He was being dragged by two trainers back to his cell when a woman came rushing down the hall with Nicki on her tail. She was a little taller than Nicki with dark blonde hair also a bit longer than Nicki’s and when she got close he saw she had green eyes like him. Nicki had been by just the other day to check on his progress or lack there of. She and Fredric had discussed how his training could be stepped up. So he had just spent part of last night and most of the day being tortured and humiliated. When Nicki and the new comer stopped in front of him both women had frowns on their faces.

“Is there something you need Cassidy?” Fredric’s voice came from behind him sounding almost bored.

“Guide Jensen is needed upstairs” the woman, Cassidy looked behind him to Fredric as she spoke with a British accent.

“But he hasn’t finished his training” Nicki protested as Fredric came to stand in front of him.

“That may be but he is needed” Cassidy went on not backing down.

“Perhaps you are looking for someone else we have barely  started with this Guide” Fredric said as if talking to a pouty child. “I have a few other Guides who have just about completed their training.”

He had seem three of these other Guides even though he couldn’t hear them from what he guessed was the sound proofing in the cells. One was old, another a few years older than him but the last couldn’t have been more than sixteen. It had hurt him to see that Guide as he looked so broken and he shuddered at the thought of how he got that way.

“No, Guide Jensen is the one I need” Cassidy reached into her suit jacket and pulled out a piece of paper. “I have the papers to take him into my charge, he is now my case” she waved the paper in front of Nicki briefly and Nicki scowled before nodding to Fredric. “We will be on our way with the trainers assistance, you can get back to other important work” she stressed the word important in a mocking tone before turning on her heels and marching back down the corridor.

The trainers were quick to follow dragging him along between them as he wondered what the hell was going on. He had no idea what he could be needed for since he wasn’t done with training and he couldn’t be arrested for Sentinel Christopher’s death (Nicki had told him) and he was a mess. When they got on the second elevator Cassidy turned to look at him assessing him before turning away again.

“I’m [Katie Cassidy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katie_Cassidy) and I will be your case manager from now on, I also work as a liaison between Guides and Sentinels” she introduced herself. When they got to whatever floor they were supposed to be on she looked at her watch then turned to him and the trainers “get Guide Jensen through processing then let him in with the Sentinel” she ordered. She walked away after that turning a corner just a few paces away.

It took a minute for him to register Cassidy’s words and his brain to put them in any order for him to get their meaning. By then the trainers had him through another door and his hands bound in bar restrains to keep them apart but immobile and had taken the collar off. He was going to be matched with a Sentinel, bonded to a Sentinel and it was going to be one on the brink of a zoning melt down. Sentinel’s on the edge of a zoning melt down were basically primal, one step from the edge of madness. Because he was a retrained or disciplined Guide and the Sentinel would be in a base state the claiming would be rough. The Sentinel would force his dominance over the Guide taking with force both mentally and physically. All senses would be needed to map and bond with the Guide and it could take a long time.

He began to fight with everything he had left as the trainers dragged him to a door at the opposite end of the room. Behind that door would be the Sentinel and he had no intention of going in that room. He managed to be nearly dropped by the trainers before one hit him on the side of the head and stunned him for a second. Then the door was opening and he was being pushed into the room. As the door closed in his face he spun around as quickly as he could without falling over. A second later he was just about pinned to the door by the Sentinel. He looked up and his knees almost buckled when he saw the face looking back at him. It was the Sentinel Jared, who had saved him from the house of Sentinel Christopher, who had been kind and patient to him, who had apparently by the looks of him now been driven almost mad.

 

**********

 

Jared rubbed a hand over his face as he sat at his desk and looked over his report one more time. He couldn’t get the nameless Guide out of his head and it had caused him a restless night of sleep. With a sigh he went and turned in his report looking at the crime board that had been set up for the case. It wouldn’t be dismantled for another day or two while the techs and examiners finished their work but his department was done. There would be a meeting tomorrow to wrap things up before he was back to his old desk and his normal job in vice. For some reason that didn’t appeal to him as much as it had before he worked on this case. He had liked vice but maybe that wasn’t where he was supposed to be. He had liked working with the Major Crimes Unit and their captain didn’t seem to mind him unlike his own captain. For the rest of the day he worked to catch up on paper work and reports and what had been happening in vice while he was on special detail.

The next day he was early to the meeting room eager for a front spot and to hear any news. It didn’t take long for the room to fill up and it was a closed door session so there were a lot of bodies in the conference room.

“Good morning all, I am [Eric Kripke](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Kripke) Chief of this precinct for all of you who don’t know” the shortish man with brown buzz cut hair that was slowly receding spoke from a podium at the front of the room earning a few chuckles. “I want to thank all of you for your hard work in this case, you have done this city a big favor and I want to make sure you know that the citizens and I appreciate your efforts. Now that I am done with my boring speech I’ll let you wrap up” he left the podium with some small applause and more chuckles.

Captain Jim Beaver of the Major Crimes Unit took Kripke’s place and opened a large folder placing it on the podium. A few lights dimmed and the projection screen behind him lit up. “All right let’s get right down to it” Jim started knowing that most of the people here were waiting for the facts. A mug shot of Sentinel Christopher Heyerdahl alongside a snapshot of a corpse it’s face lax and pale and kind of rubbery looking. Our first body is indeed that of our suspect Sentinel Christopher Heyerdahl who died ultimately from a broken neck which was inflected upon him by his own Guide.” There were a few whistles from assembled crowd and the noise of a few of them shifting about in their seats. The next picture was of a teenager with the words missing have you seen me above it. “This is Guide Jensen Ackles who was Sentinel Christopher’s Guide. We are still unsure of all the details but it appears as though Guide Ackles was not bonded to Sentinel Heyerdahl willingly.” A few notes written on various things filled the screen “it appears that he left these for the police when he could” Jim went on. “After Sentinel  Heyerdahl’s last failed attempts at robbery” a picture of the museum appears “it seems that he and his partners “ two more mug shots went up. A black haired man named Henry McNiel and a red head named John Clemments started out from the screen. “Beat and assaulted Guide Ackles” Jim quickly flipped through a few photos taken of the Guide at the hospital “before he somehow managed to get the upper hand and kill his Sentinel and the partners. Guide Ackles was then stuck with their bodies until his rescue by our lead team and taken to the hospital for treatment before being taken to the SGPC. We will be sharing information with them but it doesn’t look like they have much they can help us with. We are going to finish wrapping this up within the next day or two, then it will be regular duty. If you have any questions or concerns please see me or Kripke, I want all your reports by the end of the dad” and with that they were dismissed.

He didn’t stick around to chat but then again he never really did so no one stopped him. He moved almost on auto pilot his brain still on the information about the Guide. Jensen. The young man had a name now and couldn’t help that it felt right, like it suited him. He wasn’t sure why that mattered but something in him was content with that. He knew they wouldn’t get too much more information about Guide Jensen, he was at the SGPC. Getting information from the SGPC was like pulling teeth the old fashion way, painful and long.

He came back to himself when he realized that his feet had not taken him to his desk like they usually did when he was in his own thoughts. Instead he was standing in front of the morgue door and he only paused a moment listening to murmured voices before pushing the door open and walking inside.

[Cindy Sampson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cindy_Sampson) was standing next to a table with a body cover by a sheet on it talking softly to Genevieve. They stopped and looked at him as he came in and Genevieve took a step away from Cindy to look at him. The two women weren’t the closest of friends but they did get along well enough to work together. Neither seemed mad but there was a little tension in the room and if he was smart he wouldn’t comment on it or ask what they had been talking about.

Standing next to each other the two women looked a little similar and if you hadn’t met them before you probably wouldn’t know which one was witch if only given their names. While Genevieve was tiny (a thing he had liked about her) Cindy was taller by a few inches. Both had dark hair but Genevieve’s was brown like his and Cindy’s was black. They both had dark brown eyes that seemed to stare right into you rather than just at you. It can kinda creep him out if he thinks about it so he doesn’t.

He and Gen had worked out a friendship after their divorce but they could still be awkward around each other every now and then. Cindy seemed to tolerate him and they hadn’t been around each other often enough to work on any sort of friendship.

“Hello Jared” Gen greeted him not harshly but not exactly friendly either.

“Padalecki” Cindy nodded towards him “I will get that report to you soon” Cindy finished talking to Gen.

“Thank you” Gen smiled and left brushing by him as she did and he almost sneezed at the smell of her perfume.

“What can I do for you Padalecki?” Cindy turned her attention to him after Gen left.

He had to think about it for a second as he had come here without really knowing but now that he was something tugged at the back of his mind. “I want to go over what happened to Sentinel [ Heyerdahl](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Heyerdahl).”

Cindy looked at him for a moment then shrugged “all right” she turned a bit and gestured at the covered body. When he stepped up beside her she pulled the cover down a bit to reveal Sentinel [ Heyerdahl](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Heyerdahl)’s head and upper torso. Now that some time had passed a few bruises showed up on his chest and neck and around his chin. “As you know cause of dead was due to his neck being broken” Cindy started pointing out the bruising on his neck. “It was done by an amateur and would have taken great force from the position the Guide was standing in. Sentinel Heyerdahl was a Dark Sentinel and very strong so the Guide must have been a Dark Guide” Cindy went on.

He knew what a Dark Sentinel was, he was one himself but he hadn’t really heard of Dark Guides. Being a Dark Sentinel meant that he was more primal, more powerful, was more in touch with his senses that they were stronger than that of a normal Sentinel and that his supposed sixth sense was at his disposal if he wished it. He would be more dominant over other Sentinels and if he imposed his will hard enough he could get other Sentinels and even some normal people to do what he wanted. He hadn’t really put too much stalk in it though as Dark Sentinels were rare. But if there were Dark Sentinels then a Dark Guide made sense even if he hadn’t heard of it.

“That Guide was in bad shape so it must have taken his inner strength to do this” Cindy’s voice cut into his thoughts. “It would have hurt him to hurt Sentinel Heyerdahl at all so to kill him is pretty much unthinkable. Not to mention that at his death their bond would be broken and severing any kind of bond between Sentinel and Guide is hazardous to the Guide’s health. The fact that the Guide lived points out that even though their bond was more than likely not compatible for long term they did have a basic connection.” Cindy waited for any questions after her rundown of Sentinel Heyerdahl’s death.

“What about the other two?” he asked still looking down at the dead Sentinel his mind still whirling at what the Guide had done.

“Henry McNiel and John Clemments were both just men, thugs for hire but men all the same. They were killed after Sentinel Heyerdahl both from blunt force trauma accelerated by blood loss” Cindy answered.

He looked up at her when she was done with what must have looked like a puzzled expression on his face. He hadn’t seen a lot of blood at the crime scene and what there was of it he had been willing to bet was mostly the Guide’s.

“Most of their bleeding was internal” Cindy replied to his unasked question. “Sentinel Heyerdahl suffered from some hits but they weren’t powerful enough to leave much of anything besides some bruises. Whatever he did to the Guide was so bad it set him off into fight or flight and with the Dark aspect of his powers the fight response was more than they could handle.”

“You saw the report on the Guide?” He asked knowing that she had to have a copy even if she didn’t read it. Cindy nodded and he sighed before moving on “what did it say?” Something in him was still with the Guide and something about the Guide was still with him. He had to know, even if he never saw the Guide again he wanted to know what had happened to the Guide as he was running in circles on the investigation.

Cindy’s eyes were kind of sad as she looked at him and it was as if she knew what he was thinking. “You couldn’t have helped Jared” she used his name. “He was already in a bad way long before you got on the case” she held up a hand to cut off any objection he may have made. “The last bit however was bad” she clasped her hands in front of her. “He was beaten all over his body and I am sure some kind of torture was applied, cutting and even possible suffocation. He was raped and repeatedly and I am guessing that was the last straw for him. When you found him he was starved and dehydrated but he will get better. That is what I know from the reports, anything else, like personal information or status and talent measurements will have to come from the SGPC, but you know how they are. If you want more ask Captain Beaver he knows someone at the SGPC.”

Cindy’s last statement surprised him enough that his mouth fell open a little. He didn’t know all that much about Jim Beaver but it was news to him and he was sure it would be to just about anyone in the department that Jim knew anyone from SGPC besides a name. “Thanks Cindy” he smiled at her and left this time making it back to his desk. He busied himself with paperwork until Jeff actually shook his shoulder and ordered him to go home.

For the rest of the week he cleared out all his backlog of paper work and reports, helped a few of the other officers with any open cases and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut. The thought of the Guide, Jensen, wouldn’t leave him and it was distracting. He tried throwing himself back into work like he had when he and Genevieve had divorced.

**1 month later**

He felt like he was on his last nerve as he was called in with Jeff to his boss’s office. He knew he had been unfocused and snappish lately and it was affecting his performance and relationship with his fellow officers but he couldn’t help it. He was restless, couldn’t sleep well and his senses (all six of them) had been acting up again at the most inconvenient times. Jeff bless his soul had tried to be patient but their partnership was hanging by a thread, even his friends had tried and failed to settle him.

“What’s going on with you lately Jared?” his boss asked and looked at him seriously.

He knew this was not the time to be standoffish but he just couldn’t help it. “I don’t know what you mean sir” he slouched in his chair.

“Your performance has gone downhill, most of the men don’t want to be around you and even Jeff has expressed concern” his boss sounded a little angry.

He was a bit hurt that Jeff would go to their boss but he had to admit to himself that things were bad. “I don’t know but I think I quit” the words were out of his mouth before he even he was saying them. But once they were out of his mouth they felt right and he knew he wouldn’t take them back.

His boss and Jeff looked at him like he was crazy mouths a bit open before his boss got himself under control. “If that is really what you want fine, I accept your resignation have your desk cleaned out by the time you leave, hand out all open cases and finish any reports before you leave” his boss folded his hands on his desk. “I wish you good luck in the future” he added in a much more calm tone.

He got up and walked out after that Jeff wasn’t far behind him and followed as he went to his desk.

“You going to be alright?” Jeff asked as he perched on the edge of his desk. Jeff no matter how bad their partnership got would still be his friend.

“Yeah” he sighed “I guess this was coming I just knida surprised myself it would be now” he referred to the situation in general.

“It’ll work out kid” Jeff actually smiled at him “you’ll have to come to dinner of course Sam will kill me if you don’t.”

He knew that it wouldn’t take long for news of his quitting to get around and Sam would want to talk to him. As much as he would never admit it she scared him most of the time and if she wanted something she got it. “Sure, tomorrow” he gave Sam the time she would need to get together a big dinner without  too much time passing, it would be easier on him and Jeff both.

“Yeah, now give me the open cases so I can hand em out, no sense in making you out into a total prick” Jeff held out his hand and he gave over a few files.

Jeff left him and he got down to finishing all the reports he had which weren’t many since he had been keeping mostly on top of them after the Sentinel Heyerdahl case. It left him with plenty of time to clean out his desk into a box provided for just that purpose. He got a call from Tom and Mike telling him they were taking him out for drinks later, Chad didn’t call but he didn’t have to, with Chad it was always a sure thing. At the end of the day he got into the elevator to leave and Jim Beaver was in the car.

“Going somewhere?” he looked at the box in his hands then back at him. He shrugged and Jim grunted  as the doors opened to the lobby “you are on the wrong floor kid.” Jim stepped out of the elevator blocking his way before turning to look at him “all that stuff better not clutter your desk I hate when people think my detectives are slobs.”

“Wha?” he just looked at Jim like the man had grown another head.

“Your desk up in your unit you idjit” Jim smiled at him “don’t be late on Monday I hate tardy detectives.” The elevator door closed and the car started moving again going up before opening to the Major Crimes floor.

He smiled wide as his brain finally caught up with what was going on and he walked around until he found a desk with a plaque reading Detective [Jared Padalecki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Padalecki). He put his things away making sue to keep most of the desk clear before going to meet his friends for drinks. It was Wednesday and Jim had told him to be in Monday so he had the next few days off barring the dinner with Jeff and Sam. He decided since he was already falling down the metaphorical rabbit hole he might as well speed up the fall. When he got home he called Misha Collins who promptly invited him out to the rez to work on centering his wayward senses before he started his new job in Major Crimes. By Monday he felt a bit like he had when he had graduated college and just started working for the police. It didn’t last.

**2 months later**

His transfer to Major Crimes had gone well and Jim hadn’t partnered him with anyone permanently. He did from time to time work with his fellow officers and even his friends but he was able to work by himself. It had helped with his temperament and most of the other officers knew what to expect so it wasn’t bad. His sense were still out of sorts and he did his exercises that Misha had taught him and used the supplies his friends had given him in college. But his dreams were something else, he dreamed of the Guide and the jungle and of tigers and wolves. The last part got to him, he had no idea why animals would be in his dreams but it didn’t matter to him. He tried to keep his grip on reality but the last week had been bad. Everyone was walking on eggshells around him and expressing concern, even Jim who usually brushed off his behavior was watching him closely. He finally snapped. Thank god he had been in Jim’s office at the time but he didn’t remember much. He had been looking at an abduction case and these was a picture in the file he held. It was of a young boy with pale skin, blonde hair and a wide grin. His brain superimposed an image of the Guide, Jensen over the image and that was it.

He remembered hitting and throwing things, Jim shouting, men coming in and leaving before his friends arrived. He remembered being down on something soft but irritating to his skin being unable to get a grip on anything. He remembered his stomach turning and lurching as he was moved down and up and swaying in a vehicle. He remembered bright lights, cold on his skin, voices all around before going into an empty room. This room was dimmer, quite, warm, the floor soft and the walls bare, and he was free. He stalked around the room but his senses couldn’t pick up anything. The room didn’t have much of a smell, the color was a dull cream so it wouldn’t be distracting and catch the light too much, the temperature was just right, everything was smooth and the carpet plush. He was on the edge of his senses and his sanity and this room was holding him there.

He was on the far side of the room when a door opened and someone came stumbling through. He was there in an instant as the person turned around and he pushed them against the door. He looked down at a face looking up at him. Something in his brain clicked and it was as if all the pieces of a puzzle had been snapped into place at once and he could see the picture. It was the Guide, Jensen. He looked into Jensen’s green eyes and fell off the edge he had been on.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming this far with me, please leave comments so I know how I am doing so far and kudos of likes. Tried to get the character discriptions right...man some of these people are tall while others are tiny :), hope you enjoyed!


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